Other Side of the world
by Hes Her Lobster
Summary: Story about Ross and Rachel. What if Rachel had of gone to Paris on the finale? Focused on R&R's life away from eachother,miles apart from one another. For R&R Fans especially. Enjoy!
1. Chapter 1

_What if Rachel had of chosen Paris over Ross? How would they have gone on without each other and would they find love again and still cope with their situation as parents to their daughter Emma? Here is a insight into how I think things would have went if Rachel hadn't of gave in to Ross._

_Different continents but do they still share the same passion and love for one another?_

OOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOO

The rain heavily hit the windows as he tossed for the tenth time this evening, all he could hear was the sound of the rain and the sound of a car alarm outside in the street which had been going off for hours but it gave him some sort of strange comfort, it kept his mind off things, things which he didn't want to be thinking of because it only hurt him when he thought of it, hurt him just like a knife cutting deep into his heart.

It was a week ago today since the day he chose to ignore, but the promise to himself couldn't always be kept as every time he opened his eyes, it was a constant reminder that the woman he loved wasn't around anymore, she was in another country, with his daughter and probably twice as happy as he was now. She was probably getting over him already, that's what hurt him most, but he couldn't do much about it now.

Each night over the past week, he had gone to bed at an earlier time but each time his eyes dropped off into sleep, he would wake up with a flinch. He could never settle, and then he would sit up all night either staring at the four walls around him or dwelling over his misery which always drove him to tears, soaking his pillow and making him feel even more pathetic. He guessed this was the way it would be from now on, even the possibility of meeting somebody new seemed unrealistic to him now, he knew that meeting just anybody would be no challenge but he wanted to meet someone just like Rachel, fall in love and build a life with her. But the odds of finding another Rachel were low, he knew that.

The rain continued to belt against the windows, getting louder and heavier each time, the car alarm outside was also still going off, he was laying on his front with the pillowcase over his head, blocking out the world but with the distant sound of the alarm and rain ringing in his ear. Each time he closed his eyes tighter, he had a flashback of the week before which always forced him to open his eyes again.

'Please stay with me, I am so in love with you…' He had said to her as he held her hands firmly in his grip, not wanting to let her slip away again. He remembered the way she had looked at him, a look of confusion and stress came over her face, almost like she was angry with him for confessing his love for her at such a bad time. He knew that he had left it to the latest time to tell her, that's why he called himself an idiot because he should have realised a long time ago that she was the woman for him. Her reaction was delayed as he told her his feelings for her, to him it felt longer than it really was, this answer would probably change his life forever. She just looked stunned, completely stunned. So he tried again, waking her up from her trance as she stared at him, 'I know you love me…I know you do' He told her, squeezing her hands tightly in his grip, trying to be reassuring to her, he knew she felt the same, she was just too stubborn to admit it. The next part was totally unexpected to him, he imagined she would smile then wrap her arms around him and tell him 'I love you too', but she didn't. She released herself from his hands and shook her head, she looked tearful as she looked at him. 'I cant do this right now…'. Then she began to walk away. He had remembered seeing her move away, it had seemed like in slow motion, he couldn't believe she was leaving him especially after what he had just told her, 'Rach..' he called out desperately, begging her to come back, but the image of her turning the corner came quickly, the reality hit him, she was gone. The tears almost came immediately, Phoebe had been there for him but it didn't help at all, a friend being there had almost been more shameful for him and embarrassing, she had just rejected his love completely in front of one of their other best friends.

The surroundings around him seemed to be blurred and distorted as the tears fell from his eyes, the thought of her getting on the plane at that moment made him want to cry even harder. He really did think she would stay, but obviously she didn't feel the same way as he did, which made him feel an even bigger fool.


	2. Chapter 2

The little girl cried from her pushchair,crying for attention from her mother who was trying to figure out how to connect the television to the right cables, 'Ok sweetheart, I'm coming now...' She shouted in from the front room, she carefully placed the cable into the television hoping for the best. 'Tada!' she congratulated herself as the television flickered on. 'See...we'll be just fine Emma, if mummy can connect up the TV then theres nothing I cant do...'.She laughed, making her way over to her daughter who was trying to climb out of the pushchair.

Rachel was overall quite pleased about the apartment they had been given, it was acceptable for now and just the right size for herself and Emma, there was only the one bedroom for them, but it was quite spacious and they even had a veranda where the city of Paris could be overlooked. Rachel had only just settled in really, all the boxes were now empty again and everything was in the right place,the only thing missing was a telephone which was a bit of a pain as she was dying to speak to her mother and ofcourse the friends she had left behind in New York, and her cell hadnt been working for a few days since they arrived.

Work hadnt yet begun for her, she had agreed to start work on Monday and it was Saturday now, she had 2 more days to get everything sorted out with Emma, she would have to find a perfect nanny to look after her daughter, that was the thing she dreaded as she didnt trust many people with Emma, especially in a unfamiliar country. 'Just you and me now Emma, now Mummy is going to be working some days and you will be with another lady for the day who I will make sure will look after my little girl, is that ok Emma?' Rachel said to her daughter as she fed her breakfast,aware of the television fuzzing in the background. She sighed. 'I'll have to get somebody in to fix that by the looks of things, I thought I could do it by myself but sometimes Mummy just gives in Emma...' Rachel shared with her daughter.

Not once had Rachel thought properly about Ross, each time he entered her mind she had pushed it to the back of her mind straight away, she was too afraid to even think about it, she was too busy concentrating on her new life in Paris which she was so excited about, she couldnt just ignore all that just for the possibility of a happy ending with Ross, they never could get it together and she couldnt quite imagine them ever getting it together. The one thing she couldnt ignore was the worry of how he was doing back in New York without her and Emma, she knew that they both were the world to him nomatter what and she could never forget that, sometime soon they would be meeting again whenever he came over to Paris to see Emma, but she knew most of his trip would be an awkward mess because of the situation. She thought maybe ringing him would be best, straightening things out over the phone before they went ahead and planned for him to come over, but she wasnt quite sure what there was to straighten out, he had told her that he loved her and she had walked away leaving him heartbroken, not one day did she deny that she loved Ross, but she didnt want to think about that right now. It was too complicated, she needed to get her life sorted out first before she threw herself into a serious relationship again which mightnt even last, she wasnt sure she could drop everything for that.

Her daydream was soon interupted by a light knocking on the apartment door, she had no idea who it would be, she nervously stood up to answer it leaving Emma in her highchair and happily eating her food, 'You stay there Emma sweetie...' Rachel told her daughter, stroking her hair before walking towards the door.

'Bonjour Madam...'. A middleaged woman greeted her as Rachel opened the door. She had long blonde locks with a friendly smile on her face, she looked a little too happy to be true in Rachels eyes, maybe that was what people were like here she wondered.

'Hello...I dont speak much French' Rachel laughed. 'Are you my neighbour?' She asked, hoping the woman understood english.

The woman held out of her hand and offered Rachel a handshake, 'Its lovely to meet you Madam, I am the person living in the next room wea, I saw you yesterday with your daughter and I thought it would only be kind of me to give you a welcoming my dear' She smiled, shaking Rachel's hand.

'Why thank you, your ever so nice...would you like to come inside? I havent got much groceries in yet but I could make us a nice drink if you would like one?' Rachel offered.

The lady nodded. 'How very kind of you, we can get to know eachother as we have our drink wea, and may I say dear, I love your summer dress, you must have the men falling over you!' She laughed. She spoke english quite well, Rachel was pleased. She laughed. 'Not yet, mind you...I havent had the chance to see any French men here yet!' She laughed. She opened the door, 'Please come in...please excuse the mess' She said, closing the door behind her, feeling positive already about her move here, atleast she had found a person who may become a friend for her.

OOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOO

The thought of leaving the bed forced him to pull the cover over his face, trying to convince himself that it wasnt morning time and he didnt have to get up and face another day in New York with the thought of being alone, ofcourse he wasnt really alone as he had his family and his son still in the city, and Joey and Phoebe were only a matter of time away but they wouldnt want him around everyday, dwelling over Rachel.

Phoebe had told him that he was welcome to come and see her anytime and Joey had said the same, but being alone was somehow the only way to gather his thoughts, not like had many, they all were about Rachel and ways of trying to get her back, but he knew he didnt have a chance as if she felt the same way as he did, she would have stayed.

He rolled over on his side, his eyes fixated on the photograph on his nightstand, the photograph was taken only a few months ago when he and Rachel had taken Emma out for the day, they had so much fun that day and not once did they feel uncomfortable or aware of the fact that it was that easy to be a family, because that wasnt ever the problem. The problem was always them, both of them could never admit their true feelings even when they were dating, Ross had hoped that they would one day get it together, but that was before she had dropped the bombshell of leaving. For him, it was the only time to take a chance and show her that he wanted to real thing again, and he had thought so too when they had shared that night together 8 days ago, waking up next to her had made him feel sure that there was a possible future for them, how wrong he was. He sighed as his alarm went off another time, he would have to get up sooner or later, but his day didnt consist of much as Saturdays were never lively, but usually he would have the pleasure of seeing his best friends, but now he didnt have much to do, the biggest challenge everyday would be to get up and face each day, but he guessed he would soon get over it and pull his life back together again.

He missed Emma already, it had been over a week since he had seen his beautiful daughter smile and that was what hurt him most, it had always been hard not seeing his son everyday but it was different with Emma, he had been there throughout her birth and the early stages of childhood and now she was on the other side of the world with Rachel, and sooner or later she may well meet her step dad, probably another man in Paris who Rachel would fall for and then he would soon be forgotten, already he felt like Rachel had forgotten he existed as she hadnt bothered to call him since she had got to Paris, Monica had been the person who had the job of letting Ross know they had landed safely, otherwise Rachel wouldnt have called him, probably too uncomfortable to talk anyway.

He rose from the bed, leaving an imprint of his body in the sheets and a visible dip in the pillow where his head had been lying for the past 13 hours. He rubbed his eyes and stretched, for the first time ever he felt old, he felt like his body was giving in already and there wasnt much left to look forward to. The last bit of energy he had in his body, she had taken with her, she was the only hope for him to have a future anyway. He would be kidding himself to think any different.

He heard the ringing of the phone in the front room, he would let the answer machine get it. After three rings he listened closely for the message, it would probably be Monica, or maybe Carol, or his Mother. He slipped on his slippers as he waited to hear the message.

'Ross, Its Rachel...Pick up'. He stopped what he was doing for a moment and listened again, it couldnt be Rachel, it just couldnt be. He got up from the bed, feeling a headrush as he did so. 'Ross please pick up...I need to talk to you'. She said again. He walked across the floor, into the front room seeing the flashing on the telephone, he would have to pick it up now. It sounded urgent, maybe something was wrong, or maybe she was calling to shout at him for confusing her feelings.

He picked it up. 'Hello..'.

He heard her breathe quietly, 'Ross...'.

'...Its me, I was just...just in bed, whats up?' He asked her. Pleased to hear her voice again, but also nervous for what she was going to say.

He heard her sigh. 'I thought you wouldnt pick up, I just need...need to talk to you'.

He gave a small smile. She sounded calm. 'Ummm, ofcourse Rach, what is it?'. He asked, acting oblivious to what she obviously wanted to discuss, but he didnt want her thinking that was the only thing on his mind, even though it really was.

'I just need to talk about last week, I just dont know how to...ummm'

'Rach, please dont...your there now, I'm here...forget what I said, you obviously dont feel the same way and we should just be adult about it...' He interupted her, he hoped that she didnt think he was being mad at her, because he wasnt. He just didnt want to discuss it, he felt stupid already.

'I...I just wanted to speak to you, because well...its you Ross, I just want you to know that I didnt mean to...well I didnt mean to...ummm'.

'You dont have to explain stuff to to me Rach, I understand...I was silly to think you would stay just for me'.

She didnt say anything. Afterall, there was nothing to say that could make him feel better, 'Ok...Well, should we ummm...arrange a time for you to come and visit us?' She said, quickly changing the subject.

'Yeah sure...how is Emma anyway...I...well, I miss her...' He told her. He was now sat down, and strangely feeling comfortable talking to her, atleast she wasnt mad at him, and she was certainly keen on seeing him again.

'I know...She misses you too'. She said. Ross wondered whether it was only Emma who missed him, but she probably wouldnt tell him anyway if she did, and he thought it would be best to not tell her that he missed her, it would only make her feel worse, he didnt want that. He wasnt angry at her, just disapointed.

'I can come next weekend maybe...'.

'Next weekend?' She asked, sounding surprised.

'Would that be...ok?'

'Umm, well...I think I might be...'.

'Busy?' He cut in.

'Yes...Im not sure we will be settled in by then and I thought maybe you could come in about 2 weeks when I'll be a lot more settled in...'

'I see...'.

'I do want you to come Ross, I just think it would be better in 2 weeks and maybe you could stay for a few days so you and Emma could spend time together...'.

'Ok..'.

'Ok then..'.

It went silent.

Ross wasnt mad for her putting him off, but he was pleased he could stay a few days in just 2 weeks time, she was being reasonable, whether that would last, he didnt know. 'Listen I should go now...'. She said. 'Emma wants my attention...' She laughed.

'Give her a kiss from me..' Ross said.

'I will do...'.

'Bye then..'.

She didnt say goodbye, he just heard the sound of Emma calling out and the phone going off. She sounded rushed off her feet. If only he could be there to help her. He switched off the phone, and for the first time in days he felt hungry. Maybe it was the relief of speaking to her, he didnt know, but a nice bagel sounded ideal right now.


	3. Chapter 3

Rachel stirred her coffee as she kept an eye on Emma keeping herself busy in the playpen, she hoped she was a happy child, she seemed to be happy but Rachel had remembered her childhood as being with both of her parents. She hoped Emma didnt feel deprived of her father when she grew up, seeing him once a month at the most was sure to effect her, Rachel knew that and tried to always think of the positive things. Emma would understand the situation as she grew up, and Ross wasnt the type of guy to not speak to his daughter on the phone everyday, he wouldnt forget about her therefore, she would always know who her father was. But Rachel wasnt too sure where that left her, obviously she would soon be on the look out for a man to lift her off her feet and make her happy, and also be a father figure for Emma whenever Ross wasnt around. 'What do you think Emma? Daddy wants to come and see you in a few weeks, would you like that sweetheart?' Rachel said to her daughter, handing over Hugsy to her, the cuddly toy which Joey had always loved but had offered to give it to Emma to keep. 'Dada!' Emma yelled, she sure knew who her father was, and Rachel didnt want it any different, moving here wasnt to get away from anything but it was to start afresh, and it felt good, especially now that she had gotten the worst over with and spoken to Ross. She expected him not to talk to her after the incident last week, she didnt mean to reject him but she was so taken back by his words, she didnt quite know what to say. She was glad that she could see him again, they could talk properly about things but she was pretty sure she didnt want to go down that road with him again, she loved him as a best friend and Emmas father, but the thought of getting back together scared her, when they were together it was too good to be ruined, but it was ruined. And she couldnt ever take that heartbreak again, not with anybody, especially Ross.

_I wish it was simple_

_But we give up easily_

_Your close enough to see that_

_Your the other side of the world _

_To me_

'Mummy's going to be starting her new job tomorow Emma, and your going to be staying with Mrs Taylor next door...I know you dont know her angel, but shes going to look after you sweetheart, Mummy wants you in good hands...and Im sure you and Hugsy will be just fine for the day..' She smiled.

The time was almost dinnertime, and Rachel was on simple rations for now, bread and milk was the only thing she had in at the moment, and ofcourse Emma's babyfood which was most important, she looked inside the cupboard. 'Aha, We have cheese atleast...I'll make myself cheese with bread, how traditional here in France huh Emma?' She said, taking out the block of cheese then the loaf of bread. 'And I'll get you your favourite dinner sweetheart...'. Reaching for the pot of babyfood for her daughter. Things were going well, she was finding her way slowly, but she was getting there. Just then the phone began to ring, she wasnt expecting any calls. 'Oh, I wonder who that is Emma...'. She said, moving over to find her cellfone. She was happy to see Monica's name as the called, 'Its aunt Monica!' She announced to her daughter. 'Bonjour!' Rachel said as she answered it, giving her best friend a preview of the only word she knew in French.

'Rach, Its me Mon' She heard her friend say, she sounded a bit low as she said it. '

'I know its you Mon, I havent forgotten you just yet..' Rachel joked. 'I was going to ring you this evening, but youve beat me to it'. She laughed.

Monica was slightly surprised at Rachel's mood, she half expected her to sound sad or maybe lonely after leaving New York but she sounded just fine, but sometimes Rachel put on a front. 'You sound happy Rach, have you settled in?' Monica asked, 'I expected you to sound rushed off your feet...'.

'I am rushed off my feet, but Im taking my time...its just lovely here Mon, I'm really happy...but I do miss you guys'. She sighed.

'I miss you too Rach, but you know...changes are good, me and Chandler are just getting used to the parent thing, and the twins are a bit of a handful but we can deal with it...you know me' She laughed.

'I wish I could see them grow up, I will have to come back in a few months time...Its just so hard to get flights there and what with the new job and everything...its going to cost Ross a lot to get here when he comes, even though we're getting money off because of our situation...but its still a lot of money even when we get a flight discount...'.

'Uh huh, so...Ross huh, whats going on between you two?' Monica asked, Rachel guessed that this was probably the main reason for the conversation, Monica was his sister afterall and she had always argued with her when Rachel had said things would never work. 'Nothings going on Mon...' Rachel told her.

'Nothing huh? Why dont I believe that Rach?' She asked her.

'You dont have to believe it, Yes he told me he loved me last week...but I just...just cant do this right now'

'Do what? Its not going to take much to just tell him you love him back Rach, if you do love him that is...'

Rachel swallowed. 'I dont know Mon, I just dont know...'. Her voice began to quiver, she hadnt yet been on the subject of her and Ross for a while now, and now she had to speak on the subject, but the truth was, she didnt know how she felt.

'You dont have to explain yourself to me Rach, but I know how Ross feels about you...he may act like he doesnt love you when he next sees you because hes embarrassed about the whole thing, but if you know how you really feel..I suggest you tell him, sort things out Rach...'.

Rachel let out a cry. 'Its not that easy...'.

'Whats not easy Rach?'.

'Us...Me and Ross, we never have been easy'. She was now aware of Emma staring up at her, probably wondering why her mother was crying.

'I know that, but maybe it can start to get easy if you just be truthful with him...hes already gave you his side of things, he loves you and Emma and I know you love him deep down...so just tell him Rach' Monica told her.

'Umm, I need to think on my own Mon, I'll see him soon anyway...'.

'Ok Rach, promise me you'll think about it...'.

'Yeah...'.

'Promise'

'I promise'.

She heard Chandler calling Monica in the background, 'I need you Mon! Jack has had quite an explosion in his nappy...!' He yelled.

Rachel let out a laugh. 'I'll let you go, wouldnt want to deprive you of doing a stinky nappy Mon...' She laughed.

'Haha, very funny...I'll speak to you soon Rach...'.

'Bye Mon'.

'Bye'.

She put the phone down and stood up from where she had been sitting. Emma was standing up with her arms out of the pen. 'Oh sweetie, Mommy isnt upset anymore...I know I was crying but its only because of things I need to sort out with your Daddy..'. She picked up her daughter and sat her on her hips, 'I promise everything will work out Emma...' She kissed her on the head and squeezed her tightly. 'I promise'.

OOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOO


	4. Chapter 4

Ross walked slowly over to Central perk, the place he hadnt been for over a week and the place he couldnt quite stand to look at, it contained all of his memories in there, and now the only person he knew in there was Gunther. The guy who hadnt taken much of a liking to him since he started to date Rachel, but now he would probably be happy to know Rachel had left him with a broken heart. 'Can I have a cup of coffee please?' Ross asked Gunther as he reached into his pocket for some change, he looked behind him on the sofa where people were sitting, chatting and having a laugh. 'To take out please..'. He added, realising that sitting in the coffeeshop would be too much agony, 'Sure..' Gunther replied, handing him the cup of coffee, 'Thanks...' Ross said, handing him over the money.

Gunther never had hated Ross, but he had always felt jealousy whenever he looked at him, because he was the guy who Rachel obviously was made for, and Gunther had barely had a look in, but the look on Ross's face told him everything, he should be a man and ignore his stupid crush on Rachel and see if he was ok, he certainly didnt look it. 'Ross...'. He called as Ross had already walked over to the door. 'Yeah?' Ross asked, turning back round. Gunther had never attempted to speak to him, he walked over to Gunther. 'You ok man?' He asked him. Ross either had the decision of lying and telling him everything was ok, the love of his life hadnt left him and he was just about to go back and sit on the cloud in the sky, or he could tell him the truth. 'Ummm, I dont wanna bore you with my problems Gunther, Im ok...'. Ross insisted. Gunther put down the cloth he had been cleaning the counter with, 'I know we havent seen eye to eye in the past, but I've always envied and respected you, you had everything that I would have wanted Ross...and you seem a bit...down, so whats happened? I'm on my break now, the least I can do is try and help...' He revealed a small smile, inviting Ross to open up his heart to him. He had no choice now, it wasnt as though there was anybody else around to talk to, Gunther seemed pretty concerned, so he owed him an explanation to his visible misery. 'Ok...you win' Ross agreed, placing down his coffee and pulling up a chair, 'It may take a while...'. He warned him, Gunther laughed, 'I have all the time in the world, now...spill' He ordered him. Pulling up a chair next to him to listen to his problem which he already assumed was something to do with Rachel, the woman he had loved all those years, who was in Paris now without Ross. The story told itself.

OOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOO

She bent down to pick up the bread stick she had just dropped, shopping alone was something she had never really done, apart from shopping for clothes, but she had always shopped for food with either Monica or Ross, or even Joey sometimes when he decided to bring in some new food that wasnt green with fungus growing out of it. She wasnt completely alone though, she had Emma who was happily sat in the trolley, watching her mother pick up this week's food.

Rachel noticed a shadow standing over her as she bent down to pick the bread up, it looked like the shadow of a man, but she wasnt too sure. 'Hey let me get that for you...' She heard, it was definately a man, his voice was deep and also kind of sexy. She saw his hand grab the bread and stand up, she was a bit embarrassed about the situation, she was always so clumsy. She stood up now, ready to meet this person who was obviously very kind, picking up her bread and all.

He stood there, with one of those smiles which seemed infectious, he looked a little older than her, and he didnt sound french when he had spoken to her, he sounded American. 'Thanks..' She smiled, 'If you knew me, you would know I was the clumsiest person around..' She joked.

He put the bread in her trolley, noticing Emma who was now staring up at him. 'And whos this little angel?'. He asked.

Rachel smiled, 'My daughter...Emma' She told him, 'We've just moved over here, its quite different shopping here, do you not think?' She asked him, assuming that he was atleast born in America or maybe he had made a move over here too, just like her. He nodded, 'I thought the same when I first came here, 3 years I've been here now so I kinda got used to it, I had to come over here for a transfer with my job, what brings you here...' He paused, he was obviously wanting to know her name, 'Umm'. Rachel smiled, 'Its Rachel...And you?' She asked him.

'Ahh Rachel, its lovely to meet you, my name is Joshua' He told her, taking her hand and giving her a gentle handshake, gosh he was a gentleman she thought.

The name Joshua brought back a few memories of the guy she had dated those years back, she had loved the name and this guy standing before her definately pulled off the name, she couldnt help noticing his gorgeous looks and sexy charm. 'Great name...' She commented, 'Do you like to be called Josh or Joshua?' She asked, realising that she had probably made him think that she was quite keen in getting to know him.

'I dont mind either way, but my wife calls me Joshua...you can call me whatever you want Rachel...' He smiled. So he had a wife, good job Rachel she thought to herself. 'Your wife?' She asked, hoping he would say he meant an ex wife. 'Oh yes...I mean my ex wife, we divorced last year, things werent working out between us, she didnt like it here you see, and I wasnt prepared to give up everything just for her...she was very demanding' he laughed.

Rachel was relieved. He wasnt married afterall, and he seemed to be a similar situation to her, single and quite new to the city. 'So you've been here three years, where do you live?' She asked him.

'About 2 miles from here, I live in quite a tiny house, you might aswell call it a bungalow really...' He laughed. 'Just me and my roommate who occasionally stays, but he is always either out partying or working through the night, so I never really see him...' He told her, 'So when did you get here?' he asked her.

'I've been here just over a week, Im adjusting to everything slowly, but I do love it here...'

'And where do you live?' He asked.

'Im just in an apartment at the moment, but the building is quite nice...and we have some friendly neighbours which is what we need really...'.

He smiled. 'So do you live with just your daughter? Or do you have a husband...boyfriend..'.

Rachel felt suddenly awkward. 'Umm, Well...'. She stammered. Something in her mind was telling her to mention Ross and just get away quickly, she wouldnt be fair to Ross if she didnt mention him whatsoever, but she really liked this guy, and realisticly, she was single.

'Not sure?' He asked, laughing. 'A girl like you must have someone to share the bed with at night..' He joked.

'Well, No...I'm not with anybody at the moment, but Emma...her father and I are very close, and we've made arrangements to see eachother as he still lives over in New York you see...' She told him.

He nodded. 'Ah right, so basically...you are single' He asked her to confirm.

'Well, I guess so...yes'

'I dont mean to come across strongly Rachel, but would you...would you like to grab a cup of coffee?' He asked her. That smile creeping over his face, making Rachel's stomach flutter, she hadnt felt this way in a long time. He was the perfect guy, and she had only just met him. 'That would be...nice' She smiled.

'Would be very nice...' He smiled. 'Would you like to go after this? Or another day?...Your call' He laughed.

'Today would be Ok, I have work tomorow and all week so today is perfect...Joshua' She smiled. For a moment they had a bit of eye contact, he was definately a charmer, and she was definately happy to have met him. She owed it to herself. She hadnt been on a date since, well...she couldnt quite remember.

OOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOO


	5. Chapter 5

Ross thought long and hard about what Gunther had told him. It was obviously easier for him to say rather than for Ross to actually do it, 'You let her go without a fight Ross, if I were you...and I wish I was' He had laughed, but then told him seriously, 'Get her back...She loves you, I know these things'.

If Gunther was right, and Rachel did love him back. Then why did she leave him? Ross couldnt get his head around it, and he wasnt sure whether trying to win her back was a good idea, she obviously was already happy in Paris, before he knew it, she would probably have found somebody else. It was just the case of waiting for that day to come, and he didnt blame any man who would be attracted to her, she was the perfect woman, yet she wasnt his.

He slammed his keys down on the table as he dived onto his sofa, the leather was so cold against his skin that it soothed him, he just couldnt believe that he was all alone now, everybody was either gone, or would be gone sooner or later. He wondered if calling her would be totally innapropiate, he just wanted to hear her voice and speak to his daughter who he hadnt seen for 9 days, he was used to not seeing Ben because that was the way it had always been, but Emma was his little girl who he had been close with for the first year in her life, and now he didnt quite know for definate when he would be seeing her. Oh to hell with it he thought, 'I'm calling her..'. He picked up the phone, and quickly dialled in her mobile number, he knew it as well as he knew his own.

He got her answering machine.

'Hi, This is Rachel...Im not available right now so if you could just leave a message, I'll ring you back when I can...'. He smiled. Her voice was like music to his ears, god he loved her. And why was he just sitting here dwelling on it when he knew full well that he could do something about it, but he was too afraid. Too afraid for the second rejection in the past week. 'Hi Rach, its me Ross..I just wanted to call you for a talk, are we still on for 2 weeks? I am also free next weekend if you want me to come down then instead...give me love to Emma, miss you...Bye' He said. He didnt want to sound too soppy, he knew that she was already aware of his feelings but he didnt like the idea of her knowing he was sat here moping about because of her. He put the phone down and hoped she would either ring back, or the next time he rang she would answer.

OOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOO

Rachel took a sip from her coffee as she gazed over at the man sitting opposite her, she couldnt quite believe she had met such a gentlemen, and she didnt even feel uncomfortable with him, he had that way about him that made her feel comfortable in his presence and she only found that quality in one other man, and that was Ross. It didnt feel like a date, with Emma being there with them too but it was a nice time spent with him, getting to know eachother and drinking coffee, 'You know Joshua, I should get going now...' She said, not meaning to interupt him on talking about his job in the city. 'I should get back and put Emma to bed then get myself ready for the first day at work tomorow...' She told him. She got up to put on her jacket, and to her surprise, he stood up to help her with it. 'Here...' He said, putting the jacket around her. 'Why...thank you Joshua' She smiled. He smiled back, making her wonder whether he was going to say something to end the coffee date, she would never dream of giving her his number without him asking, or even asking him. She would sound too keen, and she wasnt. But she did like him.

'Listen, Rachel...It was lovely meeting you, if you wanted to...we could swap numbers and maybe see eachother again, only if you want to...'. He asked her, almost reading her mind. She had a feeling he would ask her anyway, she got the feeling that he liked her too. 'Sure...' She smiled. She got out her cellphone to read out her number, he reached for a serviette on the table and picked out a pen from his blazer jacket. She called her number to him, ' You got it?' She asked him. He nodded. 'I'll take your number and I'll be the gentlemen and call you...' He smiled, putting the pen and serviette with her number on inside his pocket safely.

'Thanks for the coffee...' She said to him.

'Consider it a treat for a beautiful lady..' He winked. She wasnt used to these charms by a man she had just only met, but she enjoyed it. 'If you give me a ring in the week, we can arrange a proper date or something if that is what you would like..' She told him.

He nodded. 'Would like that more than anything'. There was a sudden silence. Rachel had a feeling he wanted to maybe kiss her or something, but maybe he was thinking it would be unappropiate, on the lips maybe yes, but a peck on the cheek would be perfectly fine. 'Goodbye then...' He said, putting his hands in his pockets. She decided to kiss him instead, she didnt feel at all shy. 'Bye...' She said, before placing a soft kiss on his right cheek. 'And thanks again...'.

He looked a little surprised as she laid the kiss on his cheek, but he looked happy that she had done it. 'I would have but...'.

'I know..' She laughed. 'You were too embarrassed and you thought I would get the wrong idea..'.

'Exactly' He told her honestly. She began to push the pram away, looking back and smiling at him as he waved. 'Lets get you home sweetheart...' She said to Emma, who was already half asleep in the pram. She didnt quite know what had happened this afternoon, it wasnt normal for her to meet a man and feel so close to him already, but then again, she had never given herself the chance to meet a guy and have fun. In New York, there was always the constant reminder of Ross, and their feelings for one another, but now was the perfect opportunity to try and move on without him.

OOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOO


	6. Chapter 6

Ross awoken from his dream which left him with an arousal which hadnt happened to him for a while now. He remained still, trying to concentrate on something else to dismiss this feeling in his crotch which he only enjoyed with another woman, particulary Rachel. He moaned as he tried to think of something else which would take his mind off the feeling, his dream came clear to him now. He had been making love to Rachel in this very apartment, it had felt so real and that was the explanation for why he got this throbbing and satisfying sensation in his crotch, he hated feeling this way when he was alone as it was just another reminder that he didnt have a woman to fulfil his needs in the present, he needed erotic dreams to keep himself happy. But he wasnt happy. He was quite disgusted in himself.

The dream had been pretty realistic though, he could practically feel her skin on his and he could actually imagine her face when he had entered her, releasing the frustration of them both. Just like the night they had been together 9 days ago, the sex was somewhat better after a heated argument, they seemed to want it more and it calmed them down after such a strong argument. He heard the phone ringing from the next room, it could only be 5am so he had no idea who would be calling at this hour. He had finally rid his erection, and his pants werent clinging onto him with sweat anymore, thankfully. He stood up from his bed and grabbed for his robe, there was a chill coming in from the window in his bedroom. He hurried into the sitting room where the phone was continuously ringing.

'Hello' He answered, his voice as croaky as a frogs. He quickly cleared his throat.

'Ross?'.

He widened his eyes, It was Rachel on the other end. He always knew her voice, by hearing one word. 'Rach?' He asked. Slightly surprised at her phoning, he wondered if she would think he was becoming a little clingy to her since she had moved. But he had a reason to, he did love her afterall.

'Its me Ross, I just wanted to call you as I got your message, are you ok?' She asked him.

'I'm fine...I guess, I just called to see how you were and to organise me coming over..'

'Ah well...I dont mind you coming really, how about a week or so?' She suggested. She wasnt yet aware of waking Ross up at such an early time.

'Sure, I'll get a few days off work, are you going to meet me at the airport?' He asked her.

'Yeah sure, just give me the time and everything...and me and Emma will be there' She promised him.

Ross laughed.

'Whats funny?' She asked.

'Arent you even aware of what time it is over here Rach?' He asked her.

'Uhhh, Oh god...Its like 7am there isnt it?' She realised.

'Try 5...'.

'5? Oh god Ross...I keep forgetting because usually we're on the same time..' She laughed. 'I am sorry, I just forgot completely, its 9 here and I wanted to ring you before I went to work..'.

'Its ok Rach, I dont mind...Oh and Good luck with your first day at work' He told her.

'Thanks, I'll need it...' She laughed. 'Oh and Emma...shes doing fine, she misses you though...'.

'I miss her too...'. He didnt want to tell her that she wasnt the only one he missed, he didnt want her feeling bad and guilty for him missing her.

'...Oh and Ross...'.

'Yeah?'.

'I miss you too...we both do'. She told him. She had wanted to tell him this for a few days now, but didnt want to lead him on by thinking she wanted more, she wasnt sure whether she did at the moment but she didnt want him to think that she was unsure. She wanted to see how things went first.

'Well...I miss you too, both of you' He told her. 'And I cant wait to see you...'.

'Me neither...Well, I better go now, I need to go to work...Emma is being looked after my the lady next door to us, shes good with her and Emma is happy..'.

'Thats good then, thats what I hope for...'.

'Bye Ross...'.

'Yeah...Bye...'

He wanted to say more than goodbye, he wanted to tell her again that he loved her. But he wanted to save that for a time when maybe she would feel the same.

OOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOO

The day went by faster than any other usual day, which was strange as first days at work normally dragged along. Rachel sighed with relief as she slumped down on the sofa, her feet were throbbing with pain and she was sure that she would have more than a few blisters when she took off her shoes. High heels were not a good idea on your first day of work, Rachel knew that now. Emma was still next door with Mrs Taylor next door, they had agreed for Rachel to pick Emma up at 6 everyday, well the days she was working, and that was only three days at work, the rest were spent at home.

She almost cried with relief as she pulled her shoes from her feet, she was always the stupid one to spend loads of cash on shoes that were hurting before the day was out, she wasnt sure why someone would make shoes to hurt your feet, She let out a quiet moan of relief as her shoes left her feet. 'Just as I thought, a million blisters on my feet...'. She said to herself as she looked at her battered feet. She sighed as she threw the shoes across the room, making more of a mess of the apartment, most of their things were still on display as she hadnt yet found the time to arrange everything, she had been sleeping on the sofa since she had got here as the bed she had ordered hadnt yet been delivered, thank god for cushions.

She noticed her phone flashing on the coffeetable, she reached over and picked the phone up. 'Hello'. She answered, expecting it to be either Mrs Taylor or someone back in New York. She laid back with her head resting against the cushion she had brought from New York, with the blanket from Monica's apartment wrapped around her that she had always loved. 'Rachel? Its Joshua...' She heard him say. She wasnt expecting him to ring for another few days yet, 'Oh Joshua...I didnt expect you to...'.

'I'm sorry, I promised myself I wouldnt ring for atleast 3 days but I just wanted to speak to you again...'.

What a line. Rachel thought, but it sounded sweet coming from his mouth. 'Your sweet, but dont worry...I have time to talk if you want now'.

'Thats great, I was hoping we could go out again one weekend...'.

'Yeah sure, you did promise to show me around' She reminded him.

'I sure did, and I already have a perfect place in mind to take you...'.

'Really?...Wow, Im excited already Joshua...'

'Me too, and I would completely understand if you couldnt come or whatever...so tell me now if you think I'm expecting too much from you because I know your new here and you have your daughter...so...'.

'Joshua, if anything..I need some time to enjoy myself, so name the place and time and I will sort things out...'. She was totally amazed by his charm, it wasnt usual for a man to consider her and her personal life, that was what made her feel excited about him.

'Because I really do like you Rachel, and I think we could really have some fun together...'.

'Me too...'. She agreed. The last thing she wanted was to be thrown into a relationship, she needed some fun and enjoyment and he was offering her this, he wasnt inviting her straight into his bed, he was wanting to take the time to know her.

'I'll speak to you throughout the week then..'.

'Sure'.

'Great then, I'll see you soon' He said, before putting down the phone. For a moment she actually felt lonely as he ended the call, she hadnt anyone else apart from Emma or her neighbour to talk to, sure she could speak to her friends and family from New York, but it was nothing like speaking to their face. Joshua was someone who hadnt long been in her life, but he was someone she felt she could trust already. He seemed decent. That was what she liked, but she wasnt thinking of anything at the moment, she had no plan. She was just enjoying the ride.

OOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOO


	7. Chapter 7

Ross was stretched out on his sofa, marking some of the papers his students had taken that week. He heard the sound of the rain patting against the window, he hated this weather as it was bad enough he felt down and depressed lately but even the weather was reflecting his mood, giving him another reason to just mope around and feel sorry for himself. Atleast if the sun was shining into the apartment, he could have something to look at which made him feel positive about the world outside, and he wouldnt have to stay inside at night all the time, he was so used to just sitting in the coffeeshop that staying inside gave him a feeling of cabin fever.

As he put the pen to the paper, he tried to focus on the grade he was supposed to be giving these students, he couldnt quite concentrate and every now and then he would have to turn the page back to see how many marks they had gained, his head was all over the place. He had even once wrote the letter R on one of the papers, possibly to begin writing the name Rachel, but he had stopped himself when he realised the purpose of his job, otherwise he might aswell resign now.

As he reached the final paper, he let out a sigh. He had enjoyed doing these papers even more than usual as they had kept him busy, they hadnt kept his mind off Rachel completely but marking them had almost reminded him that atleast he still had a good career, things could be worse.

He poured himself another glass of wine as he completed the papers, he sipped the wine and then placed it down on the coffeetable, not realising that he had spilled it over some of the papers. He had been drinking for a few nights now this week, he never was a heavy drinker or even a drinker at all but he had enjoyed coming home from work and sitting with a bottle of wine next to him. 'Oh shoot...'. Ross yelled as he realised the pool of wine on the coffeetable which had stained a few of the papers. 'Why why why...' He asked himself, he threw his pen on the floor and buried his face into his hands. 'Pull yourself together Ross..' he told himself, slurring his words as he spoke. He refused to admit to himself that he was drunk, that would be an even bigger reason to hate himself, he was a lecturer and his job was to mark these papers but now he had gone and spilt his wine over them because of his drunken state. He stood up from his chair, feeling a slight head rush as he did so, then he quickly ran to the kitchen to grab a cloth, even though he knew the cloth wouldnt vanish the stain on the papers but he could still save the table.

As he approached the kitchen, he walked over to the sink area where the cloth was placed, he picked it up and for a moment his eyes were drawn to the fridge next to him, there were pieces of paper stuck on the fridge which were mostly paintings and letters from Emma, there was one with her handprints painted on it, he remembered that day perfectly, the three of them, him, Rachel and Emma had stayed in on a rainy afternoon and just painted and had fun. There was a piece of paper with all three of their hands on, his and Rachel's were closely next to eachother and Emma's was just above theirs.

Then he noticed another painting, it was Emma's drawing of Ross and Rachel, it looked nothing like them but the effort was noticeable, Emma had always been a fast learner as she was only 1 years old when she had painted it alone, he thought about seeing his daughter now and the thought excited him, she would probably look older than she did the last time as that was what happened with children. The biggest fear he had was if Emma ever forgot who he was, as there was times when Ben as a younger child hadnt called him Daddy, that killed him, as he knew the confusion of having two mummy's must have been terrible for Ben, but it wasnt surprising that Ben sometimes didnt know who Ross was as there were times when he didnt see his son for a month. He knew the same would happen with Emma, but the good thing was that he knew Rachel would never stop him seeing her, and he still had a chance of her coming back to him, she had said that she missed him. And god, he missed her too. He would give anything to just be with her now, anything at all.

OOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOO

She hadnt been on a date for atleast 2 years, the thought of a man treating her for the night felt quite new to her this evening as she recieved a bunch of flowers to her home from her date tonight. The gesture was sweet, a little forward maybe for someone who had only known her for a week, but she thought it was nothing but sweet. 'I want to thank you for those flowers you sent to my apartment Joshua,they are so beautiful...' She told him as they sat down at the restaurant together, him taking off her jacket then pulling out the chair for her, like a true gentleman. 'I just wanted to do something for you, I thought you would maybe think I was being a bit...well...forward by sending you flowers...'.

'Its only flowers, its nothing huge so I dont see it as being too forward, they were beautiful anyway...'.

'Beautiful flowers for a beautiful young lady..'. He smiled.

'Young? Huh...I'd like to think so, but sometimes I dont feel it...'.

'Well you certainly look it' He told her. He then passed her the menu, 'This is my treat...so pick anything you like Rachel...'.

'I cant let you...'.

He interupted quickly. 'Hey..I want to treat you, please...' He insisted. So she agreed, she wasnt going to argue. It was a nice change.

'Ok then, if you insist...' She laughed. She opened up the menu to have a look for something she fancied tonight, she felt a spark of excitement inside her as she glanced quickly over to Joshua who was looking in his menu, he was so cute. She laughed again.

'Whats funny?' He asked.

'Nothing...'. She lied.

'No..go on'. He told her.

She felt embarrassed now. She would just make up some lie, she couldnt tell him the truth by saying she was smiling over his adorable features and personality. 'Well, I was just thinking to myself...Im really happy about being here, I wasnt laughing at anything really...just amused over how well things are going, and I was just looking over at you thinking what a nice man you are, and Im quite happy to have met you...' She told him.

He smiled. 'Thats nice to hear, and you know what...I feel the same' He told her, his eyes twinkled as he told her this, she couldnt quite believe she was feeling this way over somebody she hardly knew, she had always heard stories about people feeling an automatic spark with somebody but she had never really experienced it herself, she started to think about Ross as she looked back in her menu. Their relationship had been totally different and unique in its own way, they had been friends first so it wasnt love at first sight, she wondered what he would think if he saw her now. He would probably be shocked and upset, but he would have to get on with it if things did develop with her and Joshua, the whole purpose of the move to Paris was to move on to a new job, and also find a new life away from New York.

'You decided?' Joshua asked her as he closed his menu. She had been staring into space for a few moments now. 'Rachel? Are you ok?' He asked as he noticed her staring into space. She snapped herself out of it, 'Oh...Im sorry, I was just...'.

'Are you ok?' He asked again.

She nodded. 'I think so, I was just thinking about things...'. She told him, she hadnt yet told him anything about the people she had left behind in Paris, including Ross. She thought maybe now was the time. 'Well, I was thinking about...my life back in New York, theres a few things that I left behind...'.

'Oh I see...Well, why dont we order then you can tell me all about it huh?' He asked her.

She nodded. 'Ok, I'll tell you everything you should know...' She smiled.

OOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOO


	8. Chapter 8

Ross felt quite excited as he finished the phonecall to book his plane tickets, it was the first time that he had actually not cared about the price of the seats or even the time for that matter, he didnt care. He held the telephone in his hand and sat for a moment, he just hoped that things would go well when he was over there, he feared any awkwardness with Rachel as all he wanted to do was catch up with her and see Emma, he knew that he would have to control his true feelings when he was with her, she had made it pretty clear that she didnt want that in the present moment. He just hoped she wouldnt be looking radiant as she always did everyday, he knew there was no chance in that happening, unless Paris had an effect on her natural beauty. Very unlikely. But he just didnt want to see her looking so gorgeous, everything he wanted standing infront of him yet, she didnt want him. But god did he want her.

He had to snap himself out of his trance as he sat on his sofa, he only had to think of her these days and he would lose all concentration for anything else around him, including himself. Today he knew would be a hard day, he had to go and teach his first class of the semester, he never usually dreaded it and even if he did have a bad day, a few months ago he would have the positive thought of coming back to see Rachel and Emma, the two most important people in his life right now. But now, he had nobody apart from himself to moan to, the odd call to his parents and Monica would often call, but everybody had seemed to go their own way. He would have been fine with it, but knowing that he didnt have what he hoped for that day at the airport, it made him feel angry that everybody else was happier than he was. He knew he was being selfish, he should be happy for everybody else. Monica and Chandler now had everything they had ever wished for, he did feel happy for them but he couldnt help feeling envious of them, they had eachother and two children now, they were a family and he just couldnt help but wonder what he had done wrong, he should deserve that too but he had nobody now but a can of beer to socialise with.

It was only 12am, and already he felt exhausted. His lecture wasnt till 2pm, and he couldnt think of anything he could do possibly till then, the feeling of being alone had sunk in and he almost felt like he could cry, but what good was that going to do. None. He thought about ringing Monica, she would hopefully have time to talk to him, they hadnt spoken for a week or so now. He picked up the phone and pressed the first two digits of her number, then he remembered that the number was no longer theirs, he had gotten used to dialling that number so much over the years that he couldnt get used to them having any other number or any other house for that matter. Just as he peeked into the address book on the coffeetable, the phone began to ring in his hand. 'Hello...'. He said, unsure of who the other caller was.

'Ross, is me Mon...'. He heard his sister say.

He laughed. 'Thats weird, I was just about to call you...'.

'You were? Well thats weird because I was going to wait until you called me because I know you like giving calls, not recieving...' She joked.

'Well, I am a giver..' He sniggered.

'Yeah I know, I was in the next room...' She laughed. Obviously talking about the time when Rachel and Ross were first dating, he blushed as she pointed this fact out to him, but also felt a feeling of sadness loom over him. 'Uhuh...' He said.

'You ok Bro?' She asked. Sounding slightly concerned.

'To be honest with you, Im not Mon...Im really not, I just feel so...so...'.

'Ross, I think you should come and see Chandler and me sometime next week, you sound like you need some company...'.

'I do, but next week I'm going to see Rachel in Paris so I can come to see you another time yeah?'.

'Sure, so your going to see Rachel next week? So soon?'. She asked.

'So soon? Well I would have gone a lot more sooner if she would have asked, I miss her so much...'.

'Gee Ross, are you sure things are going to be ok with you two when you see eachother again?'.

'Why wouldnt they? She seemed fine with me on the phone, its not like anything has changed between us...'.

'Ofcourse things have changed Ross, shes on the other side of the world to you now, things arent just going to come together now...you need to move on..'. She told him. The words hit him hard. 'Mon, you dont understand...I lov...'.

'I know you love her' Monica interupted. 'But she obviously doesnt feel the same way, I mean she loves you as a friend and as Emmas father but you need to respect that she is trying to move on with her life now...'.

'Yeah without me, and I cant deal with that Mon, I know she feels the same as I do, I just need to make her realise that...'.

'Dont do anything stupid Ross, I was talking to her yesterday and she seems so happy out there...'.

'She does?'. He asked her.

'Well yes, she seems happy and settled over there...'.

'Did she mention us?'

'No...'

'No?'.

'She didnt mention you at all Ross...she was too busy telling me about her new job and how Emma was doing and the people she had met...'.

'So basically I'm forgotten then...'.

'No...no...Ross, she hasnt forgotten you, she just wants things for her...she seemed really happy on her own out there, and theres something you should know...'.

'What?' Ross asked.

'Shes...shes...'. She stammered.

'Shes what?'. He asked again.

'Shes...met somebody new'. Monica blurted out.

Ross was stunned. This must be some sort of joke. 'Shes met someone?'.

'Yes...'.

'But she has only been there for...'.

'I know, she didnt say that she was serious about him...just that theyre dating'.

'Theyre dating? So soon it will be serious and before I know it, I'll be out of the picture..' Ross said, starting to raise his voice.

'She didnt ask me to tell you, but I thought you should know...'.

'Well thank you..'. He said sarcasticly.

'I'm doing you a favour Ross...'.

'How?'.

'You know now where you stand, so you wont do anything stupid...'.

He went silent.

'I love you Ross and I dont like seeing you like this...' She told him. 'Please come to see us soon, we want to talk to you...'.

'Ok..'.

'You wont do anything stupid about Rachel will you?' She asked him again.

'...No...'.

'I just want the best for you..' She told him. 'Speak to you soon...You know where I am'. She put the phone down leaving him shocked and slightly confused, she had met somebody new already and this guy could possibly become somebody special to her, then become Emma's step father. He didnt care whether she had met somebody knew, it didnt change his feelings. He was still Ross, and she was still Rachel.

OOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOO

Rachel thought long and hard about the night before on her date with Joshua, it was the first time that she had opened herself up about the relationship with Ross, usually it was too complicated to talk about, but she had told him everything, from the very beginning.

They had reached their forth glass of chardonay, and the two plates were cleared apart from a few left overs on Rachels plate, she could never finish a meal, she had always commented that the inside of her stomach must be tiny. Joshua had been sat in the same position since she had started the storytelling of her relationship with Ross, he was someone who seemed the type to talk to other people instead of talking non stop about himself. 'So you and Ross, how did things end between you before you came here huh?' Joshua asked, before drinking more from his almost empty glass. Rachel lowered her head and stared at the tablecloth, 'I...I dont know how it did end to be honest, It ended and it didnt end if you understand what I mean, I still have to consider our history and the fact that he is Emma's father and one of my best friends..'.

'Do you still love him?' Joshua asked her. She noticed her expression change completely as he asked her, she could tell what answer he was hoping for.

'Umm, in some ways...yes, of course I do but its so complicated with us, when I left he told me that he loved me but I just couldnt handle it as I was so looking forward to coming to Paris, so I didnt want anything to ruin my plans but when I got here, I did regret leaving him in that way as I didnt want to hurt him...'.

'Seems pretty complicated, so let me ask you...'. He reached over to touch her hands across the table, 'Where does this leave things for us?' he asked her.

'Oh...I dont want you to feel like you are getting in the middle of something because your not, he doesnt live here and I do want to move on but it seems hard for some reason, its always been that way with us...'.

Joshua sighed. 'Can I tell you what I think?'.

She nodded.

'I think you do still love this guy...'.

'You do?'. She asked.

'I do...and no matter how attracted I am to you, or how great I think things could go for us, I think you should get things straight with Ross first, I dont want to be the reason why he cant be with you and why Emma cant have both parents with her...'.

'But Josh--'

He laughed. 'I'm not dumping you as I think we can still have fun together, but after hearing all this stuff about you guys...I feel that your trying to make excuses for yourself about being over here, your using it to say your not in love with him...arent you?'.

She shrugged. 'I wish I knew, I really do...I guess I'll know when I see him again, that usually works...'.

'Is he coming over here?' He asked her.

'Yes next week I think..--'

'I'll make myself scarce for now then' He laughed. 'I just want to put things on hold between us if anything now just to give you the chance to think things through, ok Rach?' He asked. He picked up her left hand and kissed it affectionately. 'I think your an amazing woman, and I think this Ross guy sounds genuine and you two seem to have something you want to hide...so just think things through yeah?'.

She nodded. 'Thank you Agony Uncle' She laughed. 'I think your right...I have a lot of things to sort out in my head, I wasnt expecting to meet somebody like you so soon though, so thats kinda threw me off..' She laughed.

'I do apologise..' He winked.

Rachel sat with the pen in her hands, she was supposed to be doing an assignment for work but other thoughts had taken over her brain. 'I cant do this...' She told herself as she slammed down the pen. There was only one thing she could do right now and that was to call Ross, let him know she was wanting to talk properly when he came over. Emma was busily playing in her pen, 'Sweetie, I'm just going to ring your Daddy then I'll make you some lunch, ok Emma?' She said, reaching over for the phone. Emma answered with a tiny scream. 'You carry on playing with your toys angel...' Rachel told her as she began to dial Ross' number, she checked the time before she rang as she didnt want to ring him at an early time again. It was 5oclock in Paris, so Ross should be home now she guessed.

She got the answering machine. He must be at work.

'Hi Ross, Its Rachel...I umm, I just wanted to ring you to talk about next week, have you booked your tickets? Well...Just call me when you get the time, we need to talk about a few things...Ok, I'll speak to you soon...I wont be home all day tomorow so if you can, ring me later tonight...Bye' . She put down the phone and sighed. She hated leaving messages, she really felt like having a conversation with him, not his machine. 'Right Emma, I'll get you your tea now sweetie...' She said as she padded off to the kitchen. Things were looking better in her apartment now, the boxes had disapeared and most of her things were settled in, all she needed now as a bed. The sofa was comfy, but not the ideal place to sleep every night.

OOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOO


	9. Chapter 9

Ross slung down his briefcase as he slammed the door behind him. What a bitch of a day. It was the first day that he had actually considered leaving his job and just becoming unemployed and sitting in all day watching Oprah repeats. It was actually the first time that he had found his own lecture boring, and he didnt care about anything else but coming home to a bottle of wine and a magazine. The news this morning hadnt made things better for him either, he had thought about it all day and even had visions of them together even though he didnt know this guy at all. He did feel pretty betrayed by her, she hadnt only ran off to another country and left him brokenhearted but now she had ran into the first man she saw and gave him everything on a plate. He couldnt quite believe he was thinking of the woman he loved in this way, she probably didnt just meet him and want to get into his pants, there was probably more to it and that was what hurt him.

He walked over to the sofa and saw the machine flashing. A message. He didnt know who it would be as not many people phoned him these days, maybe it was someone ringing to confirm that yes, his life was now a heap of shit. He pressed the play buttton to listen to the message and to his surprise, it was Rachel.

_'Hi Ross, Its Rachel...I umm, I just wanted to ring you to talk about next week, have you booked your tickets? Well...Just call me when you get the time, we need to talk about a few things...Ok, I'll speak to you soon...I wont be home all day tomorow so if you can, ring me later tonight...Bye' . _

Sure she wanted to talk. She was probably announcing her engagement to this Joshua guy. He knew that wouldnt be the case but he had a habit of over exaggerating things. He was quite confused by her message as she had sounded different than usual, a bit low. He knew he should ring back but he wasnt sure he could talk to her right now, he wasnt in a rush to be told that she was in a new relationship and had forgotten about him.

'What happened huh?' Ross asked himself. A year ago he atleast had the hope that he could have a future with Rachel as she was always around for him to have the opportunity to talk about things, he really had taken advantage of her being there. Sitting alone now, he actually regretted not telling her sooner as she may have answered differently before Paris. He wasnt quite sure how things would go the following week when he flew over there, but he knew that he would have to ring her back before he went, whatever she did have to tell him, he wanted to know what it was before he went over.

He picked up the phone and had a delayed thought, whatever the reason for her message, she sounded pretty serious about what she had to talk about, but she may well have been putting on an act to hide her new loved up mood from him, unaware that he already knew.

Maybe he was just being ridiculous, she may have just been calling to confirm things for the following week, 'Enough guessing...' He muttered to himself as he started to dial the number, checking his watch to make sure it was a reasonable hour for her to talk, it began to ring, and ring again. Just as he decided to end the call, he heard her answer. 'Hello...'. She answered, sounding a little more cheerful than she did do before. He didnt say anything for a moment, he wasnt sure how to begin the conversation as he was wanting her to just be truthful to him about the new man in her life. '...Rach, Its Ross...'. He finally uttered.

He sat down on the sofa as she answered him, she sounded breezy and quite casual as though nothing had changed, 'So, Rach...why did you call?' He asked, hoping she wouldnt think he minded her calling, but he wanted to get straight to the point.

00000000000000000000000000000000000000000000000000000000000000000000000000000000000000000

Rachel hadnt planned to tell Ross about her change of feelings, she just wanted to let him know she was looking forward to seeing him, maybe he would get the hint and realise where she was coming from. She didnt feel like spelling it out for him. ' I just wanted to let you know that I was looking forward to seeing you next week, its been pretty difficult over here without any of you...'.

Yeah sure, he thought. He just couldnt believe she wouldnt confess to him about her new found love. 'Uh huh...'.

'I mean, I do love it here but I keep thinking about home and I just feel a bit...lonely'. She told him. 'I know you still probably think that I've ran away from things but...'.

'I dont think that..'.

'You dont? Listen, Ross...I...I still do feel bad about the way I left things with us and I dont want you for one minute to think that I have forgotten about our history and what you said to me at the airport...'.

Sure, he thought. She obviously had forgotten what he had said as she didnt take long to find somebody new. ' Rach, whats brought all this on? I mean...for 2 weeks you havent even contemplated the last time we saw eachother, so why are you talking to me about it now?' He asked her.

She hadnt expected him to react this way, she thought he would have been pleased to hear her say these things. 'Ross..I..I thought you wanted to talk about it'.

'Why would I want to talk about the day you stamped on my heart huh Rach? To make myself feel a little bit worse than I feel right now huh?' He asked her, raising his voice.

'Ross...Of course I know how you felt that day, I didnt mean to hurt you...why would I want to hurt you huh? To get a kick out of it?'.

'I dont know Rach, you seem to be hurting me a lot lately...'.

'Im on the other side of the world Ross, I havent done anything to hurt you...'.

'And you dont think not being able to see you everyday doesnt hurt me?'. He asked her.

She paused.

'Rach...Im not sure that I can come next week if we are going to be like this, I need to know where I stand with you...'.

'You know where you stand Ross...'.

'I do?' He asked. 'Because if I did, do you think we would be having this conversation Rach?'.

'Well...'.

'Your right, and thats why I rang you earlier because I was thinking about everything and I needed to talk to you...not argue'.

'We're not arguing Rach, this isnt an argument compared to the ones we've had in the past...' He joked. He couldnt help but laugh, probably the first laugh he had had in weeks.

She let out a little laugh, 'Your right, I'm just so confused Ross and it doesnt help being this far from you...'.

'Well your the one who moved remember?' he reminded her.

'I thought I would be ok moving, I thought it would help me realise things on my own...'.

'And what have you realised?' He asked her.

'Im not sure yet...'.

He knew she wanted to tell him about Joshua, he felt like just asking her to make it easier for her.

'We'll talk next week, anythings better than having to express your feelings over the phone...'. Rachel told him.

'Sure, Ok...well, how is Emma anyway?' he asked her, quickly changing the subject.

'Shes fine...everyday I look at her I see a change in her face and I cant wait for you to see her Ross...she keeps asking me in her own language where you are actually, I dont want her thinking when she grows up that her father ran out on her, because I should take the blame...I'm the one who moved'.

'I'm not sure she is aware of things just yet, but I want to see her as much as possible...'.

And you can once I see you next week, She thought. You'll find out what I want to talk about then. She wished she could tell him right this minute instead of leaving him to wonder, but she wanted to see him first before she made an informed decision. 'You can see her as much as you want Ross...'.

He smiled. You may say that now, he thought. Joshua would soon take over. 'I just want her to know her father you know...'.

'She does know you Ross...'.

'She did before you left but now..I'm not sure she will even remember me'.

She sighed. She was finally making sense of everything, for a moment she didnt understand what made her turn him down at the airport, then they wouldnt be in this mess. 'Do you think I'm a bitch?' She blurted out.

'Huh?'.

'Answer me...'. She told him.

'Well...'.

'You have to think? Well I take that as a Yes then...'. She sighed.

'No...I...well, you arent a complete bitch but you have done a lot of bitchy things to me in the past but that hasnt stopped me---'. He paused.

'Stopped what?' She asked.

'It didnt stop me loving you...'. He told her.

She didnt know what to say, what could she say to that. The second time in weeks he had told her that and the second time she had let it pass without returning anything to him. 'I know I can be a bitch, but everyone has their flaws...'.

'Including me...' he added.

She couldnt argue with that. He had done a lot of stupid things in the past too, they were both as bad as eachother when it came to love. 'Listen, I gotta go now but ring me when you arrive in Paris and I will meet you, ok?' She said.

'Sure, I'll see you on Saturday...'. When I will be shot down once more, when you flaunt your new boyfriend in my face, he thought.

'Yeah...See you then' She said. And hopefully this time I wont break your heart again when we meet at the airport, she thought. 'Bye...'.

'Yeah, bye..' Go back to your boyfriend. He thought.

The phone went down. He sighed, she was making a fool out of him again without even realising it, he would get to Paris and she would introduce him to her new boyfriend and soon enough, he would be out of the picture.

She smiled to herself. She had done the right thing by finishing things with Joshua and now Ross would come and she could tell him what she really felt, why it had took her an extra 2 weeks to realise this, she didnt know. But everything would be fine, there was nothing to stop them now as they were both going to be truthful about their feelings. No Joshua in the way, no nothing.

If only she knew what was going around in Ross' mind in New York.

OOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOO


	10. Chapter 10

The airport was crowded, people running towards Ross and people brushing past him as they ran to their departure gate. Ross had enough time to walk slowly to his gate as he always made sure he was early when he was due to go somewhere, didnt make sense to him if he had to rush out. He was busy focusing on the plane journey as he hadnt been on one for years, and he knew the last time he was on one, he got into a bit of a panic. He had exactly an hour before he would be sat on the plane going to Paris, it was quite a long flight but he figured if Rachel did it on her own, so could he.

As he walked past the duty free, he considered going to buy something to drink to calm him down a bit, but the thought of alcohol becoming his new comfort made him feel even more depressed, he didnt know what he was becoming, and he didnt like to think either. He reached into his jacket pocket where he had some mints tucked away, he would just have to suck on them to keep his mind off things. Turning to alcohol was not the answer.

He couldnt adjust to the fact that in just a few hours he would be seeing Rachel and Emma, who he hadnt seen for 4 weeks, it didnt feel fair somehow that he would have to go home after just 4 days of seeing them again, then another month would go by again before he could see them again. He had promised to ring Rachel when he had arrived to the airport in Paris, he figured that she would get a cab there then meet him, he wondered if it would just be her who met him. She had said that she wanted to talk to him about something so maybe she would drop some bombshell on him as soon as they met up.

He eventually got to his departure lounge, where another dozen people were sat in the seating area either reading magazines or staring into space, some were even asleep on the floor which was understandable as it was only 6am in New York. He sat down on the chair, choosing carefully not to sit by the old man who seemed to be a little drunk, the smell would either repulse him or influence him to buy some of his own alcohol. Instead he sat next to a man who looked his own age, he looked a little lost, in his own world. 'Excuse me, is anybody sitting here?' Ross asked him politely before sitting down. The man shook his head, 'No...Go ahead'. He smiled before going back to his daze across the room. Ross smiled before sitting down, putting his luggage underneath his chair and making sure his tickets were still in his back pocket.

Ross looked across where a woman was sitting with her daughter and a man who seemed to be the husband, he would guess that the daughter was around Ben's age, she was sat colouring in her colouring book as her mother and father sat quarrelling over something, Ross tried not to stare but he took so much interest in this family that he couldnt help but look over. The parents were arguing quietly, the little girl was oblivious about their discussion as she remained on the floor colouring.

For some reason Ross saw a bit of himself in this man opposite, he seemed to be the guy who wouldnt admit he was wrong as his wife disagreed with whatever point he was making, Ross thought this couple reflected on his and Rachel's relationship, their opinions always clashed.

The couple went silent as they had obviously came to an agreement, Ross noticed that they were now both laughing at the situation and at themselves, it seemed a big joke to them as they put the disagreement behind them and shared a private kiss behind the womans magazine. Ross smiled. He had always thought that couples who shared so much opinions with eachother, were the best sort of couple. He and Rachel were like that, but maybe too opinionated with eachother, that was their problem. 'Going to see family?' The man next to him asked him, interupting Ross' thoughts ahout this couple ahead of him. He looked next to him to the man who had asked the question, 'Umm, I'm going to see my daughter and her mother...'. He told him.

The man nodded. 'I'm not always this nosey! Just tell me to shut up if you think I am...' He laughed.

'Oh no, Your not nosey...' Ross reasured him. 'Are you going to see family?' He asked.

The man shook his head. 'I wish...'. he sighed, 'I separated from my wife just a week ago, and I had nowhere else to go so I thought...Paris sounds nice' He told him.

Ross didnt know what to say, this man was brave. 'Wow, I gotta say...Your one hell of a guy to start a new life on your own' Ross told him.

'I guess your right, but my wife has made it clear to me that she doesnt want me anywhere near her or the children...'.

'What? Thats terrible...'. Ross said.

'Not really, you dont know the full story but I would probably bore you with it...'.He warned him.

Ross shook his head. 'No, go ahead...'. he smiled.

OOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOO

Rachel finished bathing Emma and wrapped her in her towel, 'Nice and clean now Emma...' She smiled as she pulled the plug out of the bath,she adored the smell of the bathroom after she had gave Emma a bath, the smell remained on Emma's skin too. 'Dont you smell lovely...' Rachel told Emma as she smelt her neck. Emma squealed as Rachel began to tickle her. Sometimes she couldnt take in the fact that her daughter was growing up each day infront of her own eyes, everyday she would notice something new about her face or her character. Soon she would be 2 years old, then she would be going to nursery, then onto school.

'Daddy is coming to see us today Emma...' Rachel told her daughter as she walked into the next room to put her daughter on her changing mat. 'Dada!' Emma yelled, she knew who her father was and Rachel was so excited for her that she was going to see him today. 'Thats right Emma wemma, Daddy is coming!' Rachel confirmed to her again making her squeal again with excitement. She laid Emma down on the mat as she reached for Emma's clothes which were on the sofa, Rachel had especially got out the dress that Ross had picked out for Emma on her first birthday, with her shoes and socks to match. 'Your going to look like a little princess today Emma' Rachel smiled as Emma sat up on her own to reach over for Rachel's arm, she was at that stage where she wouldnt sit still now, and she was almost walking now which was good and bad, sometimes she would crawl away, Rachel had put locks on everything that she could get in, or anything that she could pull open. Sometimes Rachel would freeze as she watched Emma play on her own, she couldnt quite believe that this was the creation of her and Ross, she sometimes would reminded of Ross when she looked at Emma as she had the exact mouth and nose as his.

Rachel had been thinking all night about what she would say to Ross, but what she knew that no matter what, she would tell him that she did feel the same as he did even though she was a little scared about going back into their relationship, sometimes their relationship overwhelmed her so much that the thought of it being ruined once again terrified her, but she knew one thing for sure and that was that they were meant to be together whether she liked it or not, she just hoped he would forgive her for leaving it this long. Once Emma was ready, she placed her in her play pen. 'You sit there for a little while Emma while Mummy goes and gets herself ready ok sweetheart?' She said. Emma didnt seem to mind as she had already got her hands on Hugsy who was a little wet after being sucked on by Emma, she was also teething now too to any of her cuddly toys disadvantage and also Rachel's fingers.

Just as Rachel went into her bedroom, she heard the phone ringing. She checked her watch, it was much too early for it to be Ross as he wouldnt even be on the plane just yet, it could be Joshua she thought as he had offered to take her to the airport to meet Ross and she had accepted his offer aslong as Ross never knew anything about their string of dates over the past 2 weeks. She scurried to the phone with her hair now out of her towel, soaking wet.

'Hello' She answered, now sitting down on the sofa.

'Rach? Its Monica...'.

OOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOO

Ross saw that it was almost time to board the plane, he had been so interested in what this man next to him had been telling him that he had totally lost track of time, 'You see, I have kind of been in the same situation as you have been...' Ross told him.

'You've cheated before?' the man asked him.

Ross nodded. 'Well, I'm not proud of it but yes, a long time ago and its something that was bad at the time but it learnt me a lot about the relationship I was in and if anything, it made me realise how much I loved her...'.

'Your girlfriend?'

'Well she was then, shes not now...'.

'Is this the girl you are going to see now then?' The man asked him.

'Yes' Ross laughed. 'Confusing isnt it?'.

The man laughed. 'We both have that in common but atleast you still have a chance by the sound of things...'.

'You would think wouldnt you, I mean...there is nothing stopping us getting back together but its not what she wants...'.

'How do you know for sure huh?'.

'Because she basically told me...I told her about my feelings when she left to go to Paris but she didnt feel the same so I had to accept that...'.

The man didnt say anything.

'You dont need me talking about this when obviously you are experiencing much worse, I'm sorry...' Ross apologised.

The man shook his head. 'Not at all, its just good to know that there is someone else who is kind of experiencing the same hurt...'

Ross laughed.

'I dont mean it that way...' The man corrected himself. 'But you know what I mean...'.

Ross nodded.

'Will flight 103 please go to the gate now please, the flight to Paris will shortly be departing...'. They heard somebody say on the tannoy.

'Looks like we have to go...' Ross said.

'Yes, and I just want to tell you one thing Ross...everything that you have told me, and its not that much...I just have a positive feeling about you and this Rachel girl...'.

Ross smiled. 'Thank you, Im hoping your right but to be honest, I'm not looking forward to seeing her now to be honest as she has found somebody...new'.

'Oh...'.

'But I'm not going to let it get in the way of my excitement of seeing my little girl Emma...' He beamed.

'I think you are in for a surprise Ross, she obviously feels the same way but she is afraid...this happened to me before me and my wife got married, we were the couple who were on and off all the time...but all of a sudden, we were on...'.

'So are you sure leaving for Paris is the best idea?' Ross asked him.

The man shrugged. 'I cant stay here because shes made it pretty clear that she never wants to see me again...'.

'It mightnt be my place to say, but...if you stayed in New York atleast, there may be still a chance with your wife...'.

'Oh I dont---'.

'If what youve told me is true, and you have all this history...then I think she will come around eventually, if you show her you love her and it will never happen again...she may forgive you'.

'I guess...'.

'I dont guess, I know...' Ross smiled as he patted the mans shoulder. 'I say you stay...keep some distance at first but who knows what may happen...'.

'I havent forgiven myself yet though, so I dont think she will ever forgive me...'.

'Youve hurt her, and thats probably the worst thing you could ever do to her, but thats what love is unfortunately about...people get hurt, but the love..if its strong enough, brings the people back together...'.

The man smiled. 'You speak some wise words Ross...and I really dont know why Rachel isnt with you right now...'.

Ross sighed. 'Me neither...'.

'This is the final call for flight 103...'.

Ross laughed. 'I better go, its your decision if you come or not...but you know what I think about the situation...even though I only met you an hour ago!' He laughed.

'I see a lot of myself in you Ross, but I hope you dont end up like I have right now...'.

'Hey, dont give up too easily...'.

'Good luck with Rachel...'.

Ross smiled. 'I take it your staying here then...'.

The man nodded. 'Looks like'.

Ross started to walk away, 'Nice meeting you...'.

The man started to walk the other way, both feeling inspired by the other. Ross felt somewhat at advantage now after hearing the mans situation, atleast Ross had nothing to come between him and Rachel, he hadnt cheated, she may have met someone new, but that didnt change anything. He gave the lady his ticket as he walked onto the plane, a small spring in his step. He felt as though the light had been shone on his situation, he just had to see Rachel now.

OOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOO


	11. Chapter 11

She tried not to get too mad, it was partly her own fault anyway, not Monica's. She just couldnt believe Monica felt the need to tell Ross anyway, she must have known that it would make things worse, but Monica had told her that it wasnt her intention, she just thought Ross had the right to know incase he was planning on making another move. Rachel's plan had been ruined, she would have to face Ross knowing that he knew about her dates with Joshua and she knew there wasnt a chance in him believing her if she told him she wasnt seeing him anymore, especially seeing as Joshua was giving them a lift to the airport.

Things were making more sense now about the conversations she had shared with Ross in the past week, he had sounded somewhat curious about something, obviously about Joshua, she knew that seeing him now would probably be a nightmare as they were both being untruthful to one another. She hadnt told him about Joshua, and he hadnt told her that he already knew about Joshua. It was just typical of them both.

She felt somewhat angry with herself for being so stupid, she had made some stupid mistakes over the past few weeks and the reality of it all was slowly kicking in, she didnt deserve someone like Ross as she was always giving him a hard time, rejecting him those 3 weeks ago had started to replay in her head over the past nights and she was quickly regretting ever getting on the plane. She loved being in Paris, it was a fresh and healthy start for her but the only thing making her feel unsure was the man she had loved all those years, Ross. Yet she couldnt just be an adult about it and tell him this, and it wasnt as though she could tell him now as he was probably thinking she was in a relationship with Joshua.

'Joshua, Its Rachel...'.

'Oh Hi...I'll be at your's as soon as I can get there Rachel, Ok?'

She cleared her throat. 'Actually, errm...I...I dont need a lift now Joshua, thanks anyway but me and Emma are just gonna go and get a cab...'.

'But Rachel, cabs cost a lot...I'll take you both up there and bring you straight back with Ross...'.

'Thats why I dont want you there Joshua, its too complicated and I dont think Ross will appreciate seeing you there with me...'.

'But we're not even...'.

'Josh, dont make this harder on me...I just dont want you to give me a lift, Im not saying we cant still keep in touch but just keep your distance over the next few days please...for me'.

'Oh, Ok then...well I'll speak to you soon then'.

'Your a great guy Joshua, but I cant be in a relationship with you now...I still have feelings for Ross and if everything goes to plan, I hope to get back together this weekend...'.

'I thought you didnt love him anymore...'.

'I said that, but I was lying Joshua, and I'm sorry for leading you to think that we could become an item...because we cant'.

'Fine. I wish you the best with Ross and Emma...I hope we can still see eachother as friends...'.

'Sure. Thanks for understanding Josh...Bye...'. She put the phone firmly down, feeling a little guilty for the way she had spoken to him. For a moment she actually felt sad for him, he was the perfect guy and he didnt deserve to just be dismissed as soon as she made up her mind about her relationship, but she knew that he wasnt the guy for her, Ross was. She just hoped he would take her back now. 'Cmon Emma, lets go and meet your daddy...'. She said before putting Emma carefully in her pushchair and ringing a cab to go to the airport.

OOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOO

Ross stood by the entrance of the airport, keeping his eye out for Rachel and Emma who should be arriving soon, his flight had gone reasonably well but his stomach had been churning the whole way at the thought of seeing Rachel. He couldnt wait to see Emma but seeing Rachel would just hit him like a flash of lightning, he knew that he wanted her for the rest of his life but he wasnt prepared to reveal his feelings again to her.

There she was stepping outside of the cab, Ross began to walk closer to her. As he did, he stared over at her, the beauty shined from her body as he looked at her, golden hair and that body that played with his mind. He noticed she was wearing the same skirt as she had worn the day she had left, it just proved that he did pay a lot of attention to her appearance, whether he admitted it or not. Looks did matter. She was gorgeous.

He got her attention as she walked towards him, her head was focused on the ground as she walked, she had Emma in her arm and she was pushing the pram infront of her. He began to walk faster to give her a hand, she looked like she needed it.

She looked up to see that Ross was just a metre away from her, he looked surprisingly excited, she almost expected him to be looking at her with disapointment. 'Rach...'. He said as he approached her. She stopped and smiled. He looked at her with those brown eyes, 'Hey...you'. She said. She didnt know what that meant by calling him that, she had always done that when they had been going out. Emma began to reach out for Ross who was now looking at his daughter, 'Here, you take hold of her...' Rachel said. Ross smiled. 'Come here sweetie...'. He said, taking hold of Emma who seemed to remember him well as she was beaming with happiness. As he took hold of her, Rachel couldnt help but look at him, he was wearing low slung jeans and a baggy tshirt, he looked casual yet charmingly sexy. She couldnt help but notice that he looked a little thinner, he had lost a bit of weight. 'How have you been?' She asked him, as they began to walk away from the airport, back to the line of cabs waiting. 'Oh you know...a little lonely'. He told her, 'Have you been ok?' He asked her.

She smiled at him, 'Ive been ok, but like you said...its lonely'. He looked quickly at her and smiled,. 'And how have you been little angel?' he asked Emma who had her arms wrapped around his neck. Rachel laughed. 'I told you she wouldnt forget you...'. Ross looked back at her, 'It seemed that would be the way though when I was that far away from her...'.

She sighed. 'We're together now though huh...we can spend this weekend just as us'.

He looked at her again. Why couldnt she just tell him about Joshua?. 'Are we going straight to your apartment?' he asked her.

She nodded as they stepped into the taxi, Ross letting her go in first before he passed Emma to her, 'I'll push this on...'. He offered as he grabbed hold of the pram to put it inside the cab. 'Thanks...' She smiled. Emma sat on her lap and stared at her father as he closed the cab door and sat down beside them.

He couldnt help but feel like the atmosphere felt nothing but natural. He looked at Emma who was sat on Rachel's lap, she looked happy to see him and that was the thing he was dreading most, his own daughter forgetting him. Rachel smiled over at him, 'So, have you seen any of the guys lately?' She asked him.

He shook his head. 'Surprisingly, no...I have been on the phone to Monica and Chandler though and Phoebe left me a message telling me that she and Mike are expecting a baby...' he told her.

'Really?...' Rachel asked, stunned.

He nodded. 'She called me yesterday, so she probably hasnt found the time to tell everybody yet...'.

She smiled. 'I'll have to call her up, I am so happy for her...'.

'Uh huh, seems like everybody has settled down now and got what they wanted all along huh...' He said. He turned away to look outside of the window, if only that was the same for him he thought.

She nodded. 'I guess so...'. She looked at Emma who was still smiling up at Ross, 'Funny how things turn out...'. She looked out of the window, looking at the sights that she still hadnt been able to appreciate. There was a small silence which was something she knew would happen, they both had different things inside their minds that needed to be cleared up, but now wasnt the time. She would wait till they had time to themselves.

OOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOO


	12. Chapter 12

She grazed his thigh. Making his skin throb and tingle, he felt like a teenager all over again. Sweat ran from his face as he looked into her eyes as she gave him the pleasure he had been waiting for all this time. He felt her long hair tickle his arm as she laid next to him as he closed his eyes to embrace the moment.

Not yet.

Not now.

Wait a bit longer.

He breathed in and out as he felt his heart beat faster and his skin was burning up. He was too excited to try to stop himself from coming too soon.

'Ross...'. He heard someone calling. He woke with a fright.

'Ross...can I come in?' He heard again. He opened his eyes and had a slightly confusing feeling about where he was and why his hands were down his pants.

He sat up quickly with a quick realisation of the situation, he was in Rachel's apartment, on her coach. Not only that but he had been making himself happy through the night, but it had felt so real, like it was her who was pleasing him. 'Hang on Rach...'. He told her as he lifted the blanket from him and checked for any revealing stains, what would she think of him if she knew what he had been doing. He was ashamed once again.

'I'm just going to go to the supermarket, can you stay here with Emma?' She asked, still on the other side of the door.

He got up from his bed and walked over to the door to open it, there she stood with her hair neatly tied back and her sweats on, but she still looked amazing. 'Course Rach, is she still in bed?' He asked.

She nodded. 'She is...its still early but I wanted to get out early'. She laughed.

'What you laughing at?' He asked her.

'You dont remember anything from last night do you?'

He stopped for a moment. 'Ummm, what happened?'.

She laughed again. 'If you dont know then lets just leave it at this...'. She began to walk away before he pulled her back, 'Rach, what happened?' he asked her again.

'Ok...well lets just say, you were a bit...drunk last night'.

'Oh no...'. He said, grasping his head in his hands. 'What did I do?'.

'You kissed me...'.

'I what!' He asked, looking alarmed. 'Oh god..I'm so sorry Rach...'.

She laughed again. 'It wasnt a big deal, you kissed me then you fell asleep and I woke you up again to put you to bed...'.

'I'm such an idiot...'. He laughed. 'I am sorry...'.

'Dont be...'. She told him. She patted him softly on his shoulder before walking back out. 'Be an hour or so...Have fun with Emma...oh and I'll whip you up something when I get back...' She smiled before heading out of the door. Leaving a stunned Ross behind, he was beginning to regret coming here now. He had landed himself in it, kissing her whilst being drunk was something he shouldnt have done. But truthfully, she hadnt looked bothered by it. If anything, happy.

OOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOO

The previous night.

Ross knocked back another glass of champagne, unaware of Rachel's eyes focused on him. She was worried in a way as that glass was his seventh glass in total he had taken back, she had no idea he was even capable of drinking that much. She sipped from her own glass and began to watch the television again although the sound was down, she didnt care because there was a strange silence between them which she hadnt quite expected. All day they had been with Emma so tonight was the first time they were alone together, only eachother to communicate with. She placed her glass down on the coffee table and looked over at Ross who had the glass in his hand, he looked completely sloshed. 'Ross...'. She said, getting his attention as she noticed his eyes closing over. 'Uh huh?'. He sprung up fast, dropping the glass out of his hand, spilling the champagne all over the carpet. 'Oh shit..' He cursed.

Rachel stood up quickly to run to the kitchen for a cloth, she had no idea what had got into him. She had never seen him this drunk, well maybe she had but that was probably when both of them were the night they concieved Emma. 'Its ok...I'll just grab a cloth and wipe it up, but I think you should maybe go to bed Ross...you've drank a bit too much...'. She said to him as she returned to the sitting room to clean up the mess on the floor. 'Oh Rach, I'm sorry...look at me'. He sighed. She began to scrub the floor, 'Its just a spill Ross...but your not drinking anymore ok?'. He nodded. 'Ok...'.

She finished cleaning up the mess and threw the cloth on the floor beside her. 'Do you want to sleep here? This sofa folds over you see...or you can have my bed, whatever you want Ross...' She smiled. He laughed. 'Your so good thinking of me Rach...'. He held her hand and pulled her on the sofa. 'I'm so happy to be here with you and Emma you know that? but I wish we didnt have to be like this...because we're too good for this Rach, me and you...'.

Rachel swallowed. She knew where this was leading to, but maybe this was the drink talking. 'Ross, dont say anything you might regret in the morning...Your wasted!' She told him. 'I'm wasted? I guess I am...but it doesnt matter Rach...n..n..nooo, It doesnt matter because I'm with you and you know what I think of you dont you?' He slurred his words here. Rachel put down her head. 'And you know what I think of you Ross...but this is the drink talking...you should just go to sleep because..I mean...Look at you..-'.

Ross leaned into her face and brushed her hair away from her face, he pressed his lips against hers hard. She didnt push him away, because she kind of liked him kissing her, even though she knew it would be wrong of her to continue kissing just because of the moment, as she knew in the morning he might remember the kiss and get the wrong idea. But man, she loved his kisses. They were always different each time, but they got better the older he got. 'Ross...' She said as his lips were still moving on hers, 'Wait...'. She stopped him now. He looked in her eyes, 'See what you do to me huh?' Ross laughed. 'Rachel Greene...you are and always will be the one who I love and I dont care if you dont love me Rach...because I know that we're supposed to be together...'.

'Shhhh' She said, putting her finger on his lips. 'Your drunk, and if I carried on kissing you now and it led to what it normally leads to...I would only blame myself so please...just go to sleep...'.

He smiled. 'You know what this reminds me of?'.

'No...what?'.

'The night at your fathers house, when you wanted to sleep with me but I didnt want to take advantage...'.

She nodded. 'Its kind of the same...but I wasnt drunk like you are now Ross...'.

He began to laugh. 'Your right about that'.

She stood up. 'You wont remember any of this in the morning so just go to sleep and I'll see you in the morning'. He agreed. 'Your right Rach...I will go to sleep...but your going to have to get me up off this sofa because I cant feel my legs...' He began to laugh now. She couldnt help but indulge him, and as she helped him into bed, she almost regretted not drinking more so she wouldnt have felt so guilty about sleeping with him.

'Rach?'.

'Yeah?'. She said as she was just about to leave the room.

'...Can you whip me up some nice breakfast in the morning?' He asked her.

She giggled quietly. 'Sure Ross...I'll whip up whatever you want...'. She promised.

OOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOO


	13. Chapter 13

The night drew closer as Ross and Rachel arrived back to the apartment with Emma in the pushchair, she was asleep. They had been together all day out shopping and they had even spent some time in one of Paris' largest parks, where Emma had taken a liking to the ducks in the pond. 'Thanks for such a lovely day...'. Ross said as they got back to the apartment, 'I'm enjoying it so much here...I dont think I want to go home' He joked. But he didnt want to admit that it wasnt a joke, he was being quite truthful, two days with Rachel and Emma had made him realise that he didnt want to go home, he liked it the way it was.

'I know for sure that Emma will remember this weekend, shes had so much fun seeing you Ross and I wish there was a way in us seeing more of eachother but its just so complicated..'. She said as she lifted Emma out of the pushchair to put her down for a nap. 'Help yourself to whatever you want, I'll just go and put her to bed...'. Rachel told him. 'Aslong as you dont go looking for alcohol..' She laughed.

Ross sat down on the sofa where the blanket was still positioned the way he had left it this morning. All day he had been trying to remember what he had done the night before, he believed Rachel with what she had told him but all he could vaguely remember was collapsing on the sofa and going straight to sleep, he didnt remember any kissing or any of the sort. 'Rach' He shouted from the sofa, 'Can I ask you something?'. She came back to the sitting room with the baby monitor in her hand and a dirty nappy bag in the other. 'Yeah sure...'. She said, dropping the bag in the bin and joining him on the sofa. 'Whats up?' She asked him.

'I just feel so...well, I feel terrible about last night...I dont want you thinking...-'.

'Ross, Just forget about last night...you were drunk, I wasnt...but it was just a kiss Ross, its not like we slept together...'.

He shook his head. 'We probably would have if you had of been drunk though, I mean...its something we've done a few times' He laughed.

'Yeah but we didnt so theres nothing to worry about Ross...If I'm honest with you, I was kind of..well...I was flattered when you kissed me even though you were visibly drunk...I just well...I liked it, and I was considering just giving in and just having a night together with no strings attached...'.

'You what?' Ross asked, looking slightly confused.

'I know that if I had of drank maybe one more glass, I would have woke up next to you this morning...because I did want to spend the night with you last night...but I didnt want to because I just wanted one more night with you...'.

He stood up with his hands on his head, 'I cant believe you sometimes you know Rach...'.

'What have I done? Cmon sit down...You have to get whatever it is off your chest...please' She begged, trying to pull him back over on the sofa. 'You have got the wrong idea if you think that I just want sex from you..because I dont but..-'.

'You just said that you were considering just sleeping with me for the sake of it...seems pretty clear to me Rach...maybe thats the way you've always saw it...we've had two one night things...was that just sex for you too? or was it just me who saw it as more than that...'.

She stood up now, her hands positioned on her hips. 'How dare you...Oh..I just cannot believe you have said that!' She spat.

'Well I'm sorry but what do you think I'm going to think when you go and say something like that? Come to think of it now...it does seem to be the case with you...like the time at your fathers house when you were begging me to sleep with you...just so you could get what you want, but I see sex as a little more than that Rach...'.

She dropped her arms down, and turned away from him. 'I cant even look at you right now Ross...what a way to ruin this weekend huh, and your going home tomorow and thats when you will really regret what you are saying to me now...'.

'You might be right there Rach, I'm not saying that you see sex as meaningless because I know thats not true...but it just feels that way and I dont want to think of it that way...its just that...Oh Rach..I have already told you how I feel about you so really...I cant say anymore'.

'No..go on Ross, what else have you got on your list to throw back at me?'.

'Nothing...because I never think badly of you, its just that sometimes you come across really...selfish'.

Her face dropped. 'You what? I'm selfish now?...Ok...hows that now huh?'.

'I will explain myself Rach because you are sometimes even when you arent aware of it...like...that last night we had together before you left for Paris, I really did think that you thought our night together was more than just a way in saying goodbye...because for me it was a realisation that yes...you are the person who I am supposed to be with...and I still love you with all my heart...I do...but I know you see things much more differently than I do Rach...'.

'I knew you were going to bring that up and just throw it back in my face Ross...if you think that that night didnt mean anything to me before Paris...or if you think any night with you didnt mean anything to me then I dont think I can ever ever be anything to you anymore...thats one thing I thought we would always have, the memories of being together...the nights we had, it doesnt sadden me now to think that we couldnt work it out because I know that we did appreciate the times we had...the kisses we shared...the latenight talks...everything'. She began to feel tearful, her throat began to sound shaky.

'Rach...Rach, you have got the wrong idea completely...I know that you felt the same in our relationship when we were happy...when times were happier but I'm just questioning you on the nights that have stood on their own...without any strings...did they mean anything more than sex to you?'.

'Oh..I cant even talk to you Ross...if you can even look me in the eye and ask me that then you mustnt know me at all...'.

'No...I do know a lot about you and what I do know is that you are always letting things pass by...why wont you just stop being so damn stubborn and tell me that you want to work things out huh?'.

'I did want to work things out till now but now that youve told me this...I just feel so...so...I feel like you are blaming me for things, and I'm sorry but I'm not being stubborn now...I'm being straight with you by saying that we wont work Ross...look at us, it doesnt matter if we loved eachother because we never let things go...'.

'So loving you isnt enough for you? I would give you everything Rach even though I feel that you have left me hanging an awful lot in the past years...'.

'Whats that now?'.

'Oh forget it...at the end of the day Rach, you know how I feel...and its just you who keeps denying things, just tell me straight...I want to know if you will ever be interested, actually wait...I want to know if you will give us a try now...because I'm not waiting anymore Rach...'.

'Why are you being like this? If you loved me you wouldnt be saying this...'. She started to walk away from him, picking up her jacket and keys.

'Where are you going?'. he asked her.

'Away from you Ross...and you can stay here with Emma while I go out and clear my mind...I need to think...think about a lot of things and I think you need to rethink what you've said to me...because if you mean it...its not worth it'.

'Ok...but answer me this..'.

'What'. She snapped.

'Do you love me?'.

She froze at the door and looked back at him. 'I...I...I have to go Ross...just leave me alone for a while ok?'.

He slumped back down on the chair. 'Always bailing out arent you Rach...'.

She chose to ignore that comment and walked out of the apartment as quickly as her feet would take her.

OOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOO

She stood outside his door, contemplating the idea of whether to knock it or not. She could just turn back away straight away and go back home to deal with everything with Ross but she just couldnt calm herself down yet after his comments earlier on. She was regretting leaving so quickly, he would probably be upset now and alone, like she was but she wouldnt be in a moment if she just knocked at the damn door. So she did, gently, but loud enough for him to hear it.

A few moments passed by before she heard a few noises on the other side of the door, then he opened it. He looked surprised to see her, she felt almost terrible for knocking at such a late time. He looked like he had just woken up, his hair was sticking up at the front and his eyes were very wide. 'Rach?...'.

She laughed nervously. 'I...I hope you dont mind, but I needed to come and see somebody..'.

He rubbed his eyes and opened the door for her to come in, 'Sure...come in, you havent walked all this way have you?'. He asked, aware of the idea of a young attractive woman walking the streets at night. 'No...I jumped on the bus'. She lied. She walked past him and walked into the hallway, unsure of where to go next as she had never been in his apartment before, even though he had invited her over a number of times.

He led her into the sitting room, 'Sit down...I'll grab you a drink...'.

'Thanks...can you get me a gin and tonic on the rocks please?' She asked without a thought. He laughed, 'Sure Rach..'.

She sat down and looked at the surroundings around her, she hadnt expected his apartment to be this neat, he looked the type of guy who spent more time in the mirror rather than snooping around with a vaccum. She wasnt quite sure why she had came here tonight, it wouldnt change things with Ross and it wouldnt change the way she felt about what he had said, but maybe she would feel better talking to someone about it, and Joshua was the only person she knew well enough in Paris to go and talk to. 'Here you go...' Joshua said, handing her the glass. 'Now...whats up Rach? Arent you supposed to be with Ross?'. he asked her.

She sipped from her glass, then she sniffed. 'I...I..'. What came next was unexpected to her, she cried, she cried hard. 'Oh..I'm so sorry Joshua...'.

He sat down beside her and wrapped his arms around her, 'Rach...whats happened? You can talk to me...'. She sniffled again, 'I know...thats why I came Josh, because I had to talk to somebody about it...everythings such a mess...'. She cried harder.

'This is about Ross isnt it?'. Joshua guessed.

She nodded. 'Uh huh...'.

'So...tell me...whats gone on?'. He asked again.

Ross stared at the walls around him, considering just packing up now and leaving, but Emma was in the next room and he couldnt just get up and leave the woman he loved, she might have done that to him before but that was something he could never do. He hadnt a clue where Rachel had gone to, explaining to him that she needed air and time to think, she could have gone anywhere.

He got up from the chair. He couldnt understand where it all went wrong, they were adults and most people their age should be settled down and happy, but they never could just pull it together. Looking back now, he wished that he hadnt of said those things to her, it wasnt something she deserved to be told, especially by him. He didnt know whether calling her now would be a good idea, she probably wouldnt pick up. But the worry of where she was, was getting to him.

Her phone was in her bag on the table, she couldnt have gone far if she hadnt taken her bag, but still, she could have gone anywhere. He wandered into Emma's room to just have some company with somebody, even though she was asleep. He opened the door carefully and quietly not to wake her. She was stretched out in her cot with her tiny arms above her head, her tongue was sticking out of her mouth and there was a hint of a smile whilst she slept, she was so sweet and innocent and had no idea about anything that was going on around her. One thing both him and Rachel had agreed on was to shield Emma away from any heartache, she was too special to live day after day with the thought of her parents not being happy, 'Oh Emma...' He sighed as he knelt down beside the cot, stroking the top of her head gently with his thumb. When he looked at her, nothing else mattered around him. Even the heartache over him and Rachel melted away in his little girls eyes, it was one thing that kept him happy and that was the reminder that he had bought a beautiful little girl into this world. 'I love you so much Emma...' he whispered to her. She looked so much like Rachel, she wasnt even 2 years old yet but he could see the beginning of her character and personality shine through, he could already see her growing up infront of his eyes.

The idea of going home and having to leave his little girl made him feel disapointed, he didnt want to leave and he knew that Rachel didnt really want him to either, but he would be lucky if she even spoke to him when he got back after the things he had said to her. It was past midnight now, an hour had past already since she had stormed out of the door. He had no idea whether she would even come back tonight, and that was when the thought of her going to that guy Joshua's place, he had the idea that she might have just to give him another reason that she had other people besides himself.

'When you ask me about Mummy and I when your older Emma...I'll have a lot to tell you sweetheart, good and bad...and whether me and Mummy will be together when you do grow up...I dont know...'.

He stroked her head again, causing her to move a little but she was still fast asleep. 'but you know what sweetheart, I hope we are...'. He continued.

OOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOO


	14. Chapter 14

She knocked at his door. Hoping he would be in, and praying he wouldnt mind her coming to see him at such a late time. But she needed to talk to someone about the situation, and she didnt know anybody else in Paris. Joshua was a good guy and hopefully he could help her figure things out.

He opened the door. 'Rach?' He asked, rubbing his eyes. He looked like he had been asleep.

'I'm sorry Josh, I needed to come and see you...'. She explained. She began to feel upset again, her eyes welled up again with tears as she tried to explain herself. He stepped outside with her, 'Come in Rach...You can tell me whats happened' He said, taking hold of her arm and leading her inside his apartment.

She walked into the sitting room, 'Sit down...can I get you a drink Rach?' he asked her. She nodded. 'Please...and make it alcohol' She asked him.

He laughed. 'Certainly...'. As he left, she sat herself down. His apartment wasnt what she expected it to be, it was a bit messy but it was an organised mess. She wiped her eyes, she just couldnt believe she had left the apartment. She had never usually lost her temper so badly to leave her own apartment. 'Here you go..' He said, coming back in with a glass of wine. 'Thank you...' She said, taking hold of the glass and knocking it back quickly. 'Hey...take it slow Rach' He laughed.

'If you had the same night Ive had...you would do the same' She told him.

'Well...tell me what happened then huh?' He asked her.

She put down the glass, 'How long have you got?' She asked.

'I..I just dont know what to do anymore, even if I told him that we wanted to work things out...I cant see it going well...we're just so...so stupid sometimes...'.

'Do you want to know what I think?'. Joshua asked her.

'Go on...'.

'I think that Ross adores you...and deep down, you do want to work things out...and you do feel the same way about him from what I have heard...'.

She laughed. 'Josh, you are right...but its just so difficult, I wish I didnt feel this way about him sometimes because usually you can forget about your ex's and move on...but I cant move on from him, and I cant move on with him either...'.

'What is it that your scared of?'.

'Scared? I'm not..-'.

'Your very scared Rach about something...can I ask you, how did you break up?'.

She looked up at him again, 'Oh you know...why most people break up really...disagreements...just sometimes it doesnt work'.

'Tell me I'm wrong...but there seems to be something more there...'.

'Like what?'.

'I dont know...you tell me'.

'Ok...'. She paused. 'He cheated on me...'.

Joshua was shocked to hear this. 'I didnt expect that...but I think thats maybe what your scared of?'.

'Oh no...It wouldnt cross my mind...its a few things, not one particular thing...but even though he did cheat, its never made me think of him any lower...hes still the Ross who I cared and loved for those years ago...he made a mistake, and through the years we put it behind us...we have more things to think about now'.

'Have you ever been in love with anybody else besides Ross?'. He asked her.

She shook her head, 'Not real love...'.

'So why arent you with him?'.

'Its not that easy...you should have heard the things he said to me just before, he called me selfish and blamed me for leaving New York...'.

Joshua got up now. 'You see Rach, I've never been in love before...and when you tell me about you and Ross, I really do think you are wasting your time sitting here with me...'.

'You do?'.

'Yes...I do'.

'Your so lovely Josh, and believe me...if I didnt feel this way about Ross, I would have took up your offer those few weeks ago...because your just great...'. She said, her words were slurring now because of the alcohol. 'How much have I drank?' She laughed.

He didnt say anything, but looked at her. 'You know what I first thought of you?'.

'No...what?'.

'I thought you were gorgeous, and I actually thought you were the one for me...in that isle in the supermarket, you were the woman for me...'.

She looked into his eyes, something about them were inviting. She just wanted to kiss him or something. 'Do you want to know what I thought?'.

'No...what?'.

'I thought you were somebody who could save me...'.

'Save you?'.

'Yes...'. She told him, 'I still am attracted to you...and it wouldnt be so bad for me to just...-'. He kissed her. He had read her mind, she had honestly wanted her to kiss her, to help her know what she really wanted. She knew deep down that Ross was the one, but Joshua was still that guy she had met in the supermarket who had helped her pick up her groceries. The kiss was soft, but nice. She knew it was wrong, but she was single, kissing a guy wasnt a crime. Ross didnt have to know.

'Josh..' She whispered, inbetween their kisses. 'This is...this is...'.

'Wrong?' He cut in.

Their lips came apart, and both of their eyes opened. 'I think so...' She said. 'I knew this was what would happen when I first saw you tonight...I still think you are sexy as hell...and I probably would just rip off your clothes right now and climb in your bed Josh...but...I think I need to go back home...to Ross'.

'Rach...if you think thats what you want, then do it...I'll let you go, it might be something I'll regret doing...because I think your just amazing...I would take you happily tonight, but you want Ross...and from what you've told me...Ross wants you'.

'He does...and I think I do too'.

He squeezed her hand. 'We can still stay...friends right?'.

She nodded. 'Course, and thank you Josh...for making me realise what I really wanted'.

'Is that a bad thing on my half? Am I that bad kisser? Making you want another man?' He laughed.

'You know what I mean...'. She said, getting up from the chair. 'Its just something that needed to be done...Ive wanted to kiss you for weeks, and now its out of my system...I feel ready to just get things straight with Ross...'.

He smiled. 'I hope I find somebody else just like you Rach...and you know if things dont work out with you and Ross, you know just where I am...'.

'I do...'. She smiled, before stroking him on his arm and leaving the room, not forgetting to check her appearance in the mirror in the hallway. She looked a bit tipsy, infact drunk. She couldnt walk home in this state, her eyes looked black like a pandas. Her lipstick was slightly smudged. And her hair was like a bees nest.

'Hey Joshua...' She called.

'Yeah?'.

'Can you ring me a cab?'.

'No I wont...' He shouted back.

'What?' She called back, why wouldnt he call her a cab?.

He came into the hallway. 'I wont call you a cab...'.

'Why-'.

He paused for a moment. 'Because I'll drive you home silly...'. He laughed.

OOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOO

She scurried down the hallway, trying to find the door she lived at. She had lived there for almost 5 weeks and she still couldnt find her way in the building, and having a drink didnt help either. She walked quietly down the hall, trying not to wake anybody as it was early in the morning. Joshua had dropped her off outside the building, he had offered to take her upstairs but the thought of Ross seeing him, wasnt a good idea.

She was quite afraid of going back in the apartment, she knew what would happen. Another row. She just wanted to tell him how she felt, put everything else behind him but it was the things he had said to her earlier that stuck in her mind, she couldnt move on with him knowing he thought those things of her. She did love him now, and she had only just realised that. Why it had taken so long for her to come to terms with it, she couldnt quite understand. She just didnt know.

She knocked lightly on the door she hoped was her's, she had left her keys and everything in the apartment, so Ross would have known she wasnt going far for long. She knocked again, a little louder this time. But not to wake Emma who was hopefully still settled in her crib. She felt a bit guilty about leaving so quickly earlier, especially leaving Emma. But Ross was her father, he would have dealt with her, she knew that. Otherwise she wouldnt have left without Emma, but one thing she did know was that Ross was a responsible father.

He opened the door. 'Rach...'

She didnt say anything, she just flicked her fringe from her face and put her hand on her hip, trying to hide her anger and upset.

'Where have you been?' He questioned her, he looked worried. She noticed that he had red eyes, perhaps from crying. 'I...I just needed some time to myself Ross, otherwise we would have rowed for hours...' She told him, pushing past him into the apartment. He remained stood by the door, 'So you went out walking for 2 hours Rach? You really expect me to believe that?' He asked, slamming the door shut.

'Ross...I cant go through this again, I just want to go to bed and forget about tonight because I cant stand this rowing...'.

'We cant just forget tonight Rach, I go home tomorow and I need to straighten things out whether you want to or not..-'. He shouted.

'Wheres Emma?' She asked, avoiding the situation. 'Is she still asleep?' She asked, throwing her jacket down on the sofa before walking to Emma's bedroom. Ross walked quickly over her, blocking the door. 'Rach, will you just stop for a moment...I cant believe you are just going to forget tonight...Its something your always doing and this time..I'm not going to let it happen'.

'So what are you suggesting Ross huh? That we stand here all night and argue again? Because I dont know about you but I just dont have the energy...'.

He paused. 'Have you been drinking?' He asked her,still in the way of the door.

'Maybe...why?' She told him.

'So now you've been walking around on your own...but you also managed a drink aswell...what a load of bull---'.

'Oh cmon Ross! I dont have to explain myself to you...Your the one who made me walk out of her because of those things you said...so please just dont keep questioning me on my whereabouts ok?' She yelled.

He walked away from her. 'Well...I might aswell start packing for tomorow then, then I'll go to bed...' He said.

'Ok...fine'. She said, 'But you know something Ross...this isnt all my fault like you make it out to be...it was you who said those things before to me...they really really hurt me...and we could have just had a nice evening together but no..--'.

'Hey, Those things that I said...Yes, I know they hurt you...and Im sorry, ok?' He said.

'But you meant them though didnt you?' She asked him.

'Just let it go Rach...It was a spare of the moment thing, I was angry...you know the way you got angry yourself sometimes in the past and said things you didnt mean?' He reminded her. 'We're both guilty for that Rach...'.

'I know but..--'.

'If I thought those things of you, do you really think I would have loved you all these years huh?' He told her.

'Ok Ok...I accept your apology ok?' She told him. She put her hand on her head, 'I just dont know what we are anymore Ross...'.

He sat down now on the sofa, 'I know...but I know where I am, your just not in the same place are you?' He asked her.

There he was again, declaring his love for her again. She couldnt just let it brush past, she had to say something. 'Ross...I...I...'.

He looked up at her, she could see he was frustrated, and she knew just how he felt. 'I do...' She told him.

'You do what Rach?'

And though love sometimes hurts

I still put you first

And we'll make this thing work

But I think we should take things slow

'I do...I do love you'. She told him again, staring at him now. A tear fell from her face, and her lips began to tremble. 'I'm so sorry...' She cried.

'You...You love me?' He asked her. He stood up now, keeping his distance but his eyes focused on her face as she poured out her feelings to him. They stood like that for hours, doing what they hadnt done in a long time. Being honest. Being open. They were both atlast in the right place at the same time.

We're just ordinary people

We dont know which way to go

We're just ordinary people

Maybe we should take it slow

OOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOO


	15. Chapter 15

She rolled over and smiled. She hadnt felt this good for a long time, the feeling of finally sharing love with somebody again made her feel somewhat complete. It was early morning, around 7am but she felt so fresh and awake that she felt she could do absolutely anything. Ross was beside her, sleeping softly. She felt almost like crying as she watched him sleep, everything the night before had happened so quickly and unexpectedly, yet it was so right and something that they had both needed to do for a long time. She carefully slided out of the bed, slipping her feet into her slippers before walking into the next room where Emma was crying from, she padded softly into the next room, leaving Ross peacefully sleeping in the bed.

Emma was stood up in her crib, her arms stretched out waiting to be held. 'Ok sweetie...I'll bring you into mummy's bed yeah?' Rachel said to her daughter before scooping her up into her arms, 'Now you'll have to be quiet Emma, because your Daddy is asleep in Mummy's room...ok?' She continued as they made their way into Rachels room. Ross was still asleep, but he had now stretched out across the bed leaving no room for neither Rachel or Emma to position themselves. She had no choice but to wake him, with Emma sat on her right hip, she bent down to stroke Ross' face to try and wake him slowly. 'Ross...' She whispered.

He moved quickly and opened his eyes. 'Huh?'.

'I needed to wake you up so we could all fit inside...' She laughed, lifting up the covers and sliding back into bed with Emma still in her arms.

Ross sat upright now, rubbing his eyes. He couldnt help but smile as he looked to his right, Rachel was lying on her back with Emma laying on her chest. They looked so peaceful and he realised that the puzzle had now been completed. He leaned over to kiss Rachel on her cheek.

She looked at him and laughed. 'Whats that for...you'. She asked him, cupping his face in her palms. 'Its not everyday that I wake up next to you...so I want to make up for every moment we lost...' He explained to her, kissing her arm lightly. She smiled, 'I cant believe this has happened...'. She said, in disbelief.

He grabbed hold of her hand tightly, 'Me neither Rach, but I just know that this is something we cant throw away again...you know?'

'I know...I know'. She agreed, 'And for what its worth, I'm sorry for leaving you last night for all that time...and most importantly, I'm sorry for making you wait for me...for such a long time...' She told him, looking deep into his eyes now as she spoke to him.

'I dont wanna ever lose you Rach...and you and Emma are the two most important people in my life right now and I think we can really make this work...for once' He laughed. She kissed him on his lips, 'I love you...I love you...I love you!' She told him again, the excitement of telling him this again and again made her feel so good, and for Ross to hear it again and again, was even better for him. 'I love you too Rach...' He told her, returning her kiss before they were quickly interupted by Emma who began to pull at Rachels hair, 'Mommy...' She screeched, making Ross feel slightly deaf.

They both laughed. 'I almost forgot how loud she was...' Ross said. He got hold of his daughter, 'Shall Daddy get you some breakfast huh Emma? would you like that baby? Because I can do that for you right now...' He promised her, getting up from the bed leaving Rachel looking adoringly at them. 'Do you want me to come help?' She asked him.

'No...You stay here, I'll bring yours up for you beautiful...' He told her, carrying Emma out to the kitchen whilst Rachel lay in her bed, remembering the night before and thinking about her and Ross' future.

OOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOO

The thought of going back to New York made him feel sick. The moment he finally gets what he wants, and he has to leave it behind for a while. 'I wish I didnt have to go...' Ross whispered in her ear as they embraced at the departure lounge. She massaged the back of his ear with her thumb, 'I love you...and you love me Ross, theres nothing stopping us now...just another two weeks and we'll see eachother again'. She reminded him. The thought of him leaving was killing her inside slowly too but she had to be strong. 'I know...but I dont want to leave you both, we're going to have to talk about arrangements Rach...we cant have a relationship this way, it will never work...' He told her.

He kissed her neck. 'I better go...take care of Emma for me and please...remember I love you, see you soon...' He said, pressing his lips against hers for one last time and kissing his daughters head before he headed to his gate to depart for New York. He couldnt look back at Rachel as he knew the realisation of being apart from her once more would tear him apart. He turned the corner of the gate after giving in his flight ticket.

It almost reminded him of when Rachel left for Paris, but now it was him leaving. Something he never thought he would do, but he knew it was for the best at the moment with both of their careers. He knew that they were for real now, like he had always knew, but this time she was willing to let him look after her and love her once again, and this time he knew things would work even if it meant them being apart for weeks at a time while they sorted out their future.

As he sat down, he began to think back to the night before. It made him feel better as he rested his head back and closed his eyes, searching back in his mind what he wanted to think of. Rachel telling him what he had waited for her to say for what had seemed forever, then they had laid in eachothers arms for the night just talking and embracing the moment. The things he had said to her also flooded back to him, about her being selfish and not thinking sex as something special between them, it was something that he had said in the moment but hadnt meant it one bit. But she had most definately proven to him last night that she was neither of them things. Something was different as he sat on the plane, he felt refreshed and motivated. It was for sure that him and Rachel would be together now, and there was nothing to come between them. Passing him, he saw couples. Families. Older people in love. Everything seemed to play a part in his day, it was all so important to him as he watched the world pass him. 'Excuse me Sir...' He heard someone say next to him, 'Would you mind if I sat next to the window? I get terribly anxious being in the isle...I hope you wouldnt mind' The elderly man asked him. Ross smiled, 'Ofcourse...I dont particulary like being by the window either'. He shared with him. 'Oh thank you so much Sir...' The older man said. 'My pleasure...' Ross smiled before letting the man in his seat.

OOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOO


	16. Chapter 16

'I know its come as a shock to you Mon, but when he came to stay...I...I guess I just fell for him all over again and this time I couldnt just ignore it...we're supposed to be together'. Rachel explained.

'You dont have to tell me that Rach, I've known that for years! I just want to make sure that its definately what you want, you have both screwed eachother over so many times..-'

'Mon, its different now because we've both grown up now and we know this is what we want...even if it has taken years for us both to realise that...we're going to be a family now..' She interupted.

'I just want the best for you...and you cant blame me for being a little concerned because in the past you've both been a bit..-'.

'Thats the past...'.Rachel cut in.

'I know but...-'.

'And now we're going to spend the future together...I love him, I guess I always have...and I know he loves me, I cant add anything more to that...'. Rachel continued. She heard Monica sigh. 'I'm just glad that you've realised now, you've spent so long apart and ignoring the fact that you are a match in heaven...Ross called me last night and he was just so...happy, I havent heard him like that for a long time...' Monica told her.

'Its because this is the real thing Mon, its not messing around anymore...Its serious and we both want the same things...'. Rachel told her.

'I'm happy for you Rach, I'm happy for you both...Just dont throw it away again...Please...'. She said.

'I wont...I'm not stupid anymore...we're both done being stupid Mon'.

Monica laughed. 'So...whens the wedding?' She joked.

'A bit too soon for that talk Mon, we've just got together and we have a lot to talk about...like where we are going to set up our home and what we're going to do about our jobs...'.

'I was just joking Rach! I know marriage is something you shouldnt rush into...but I assumed that you would come back to New York?' She asked.

'Well...It just seems stupid for me to throw my new job away and go back to my old job...thats if I'm lucky to get it back, but I have to admit...Paris isnt what I thought it would be...the people here are lovely and the apartment is just perfect but...its just not...home you know?'.

'Well then...come back to New York!' Monica told her.

'I'm gonna have to think about it, but we both agreed that we would take a few weeks to sort things out...I miss him already though and Its only been 3 days since he left...'.

'Why dont you come here for just a visit?' Monica suggested.

'I could do that, but its just work really...'.

'Surely they would give you a few days off?'.

'I guess they would..but I'm not sure going back home would be a good idea as I would want to stay there...'.

'Well...stay then Rach! Its your home...and you and Ross can finally be together with Emma and make a future here together...and me and you can see eachother as often as we like...you could even buy a house near our house!' Monica said, getting excited.

'I have to admit...that sounds like the most ideal way to spend my future...Its just...Im not sure that I want to give up my job here...Its such a great opportunity and I would just be going back to square one with my career...'.

'Do you enjoy working over there though Rach?' Monica asked her.

'Well...I guess I do...but I think I prefer my old job but I just cant ignore the fact that I am now working in the fashion capital...its too big.-'.

'Wouldnt you rather enjoy your job though Rach? If you came back here...its not as good as the job you have now got, but you know the people there...its familiar..and you and Ross can live together here...close to your families...and to us'.

'You have a point Mon...I think I should come to New York in a few days and see Ross and talk things through...its better to talk face to face rather than on the phone when we dont even share the same timezone...its difficult'.

'Make a visit here...I wont say anything to Ross but I'll make sure hes home for you...this is so great Rach, I can come to have lunch with you or something too!'.

'Thanks Mon, you've really helped me...and I think finally things are coming together...just make sure you dont say anything to Ross about me coming over ok? I'll give you a ring tomorow or something...I have to drop Emma off to our neighbour who looks after her while I go to work...Im gonna have to mention it to her aswell that I'm planning on coming home...'.

'Oh yeah Rach, If you come down next thursday it would be ideal because me and chandler are going on a double date with Phoebe and Mike, you and Ross can join us!' Monica suggested.

Rachel smiled, 'Sure thing Mon...sounds good to me, just remember to keep it quiet that I'm coming...' She reminded her.

OOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOO

Ross checked the calender in the kitchen before he left for work. It was only another week before he would be would be seeing Rachel and Emma again, they had spoken the night before on the phone and Rachel had told him she would try and come over to New York the next week, if she could get work off, but he knew that she would definately be coming as they were done letting eachother down.

He hoped that Rachel would stay over here long enough for Ross to be there when his daughter had her second birthday, that was one thing that really got him down when Rachel first left for Paris, the thought of not being a part of Emma's special days like her birthdays. He remembered when Ben was born, he had told himself that things would be ok as Ben was only a matter of time away and he would be able to see him whenever he wanted, but over time, Ross only managed to see his own son once a month sometimes, and he missed a few of his birthdays because Carol and Susan had taken him away. Ross didnt want that with Emma, and he knew that things wouldnt be like that now as him and Rachel would now be together, and he knew it would be forever.

He had back to back classes today, and he was actually looking forward to getting back to work as now things were different, a few weeks back when Rachel had left him to go to Paris, he didnt have any enthuasiasm for anything, even teaching which was normally something he always gave great effort even if things werent working out in his own personal life. But when Rachel left, it was completely different. He had even considered resigning, but then that would mean there would be nothing at all in his life.

As he walked out of the kitchen, he heard the phone ringing but decided to let the answering machine get it. 'Hi Ross, its Chandler. Do you fancy going to the game tonight? I have the week off work this week and I thought I would get us tickets to the game, Monica is fine with it so give me a ring when you get this message...oh and I also gave Joey a ring in LA to just ask him if he could come here for the game tonight but he cant make it...so just us two dude'.

Ross smiled. He hadnt seen Chandler in over a month now and seeing him tonight seemed like a brilliant idea, he made a note of it on his pad on the table to ring Chandler when he got home, then he picked up his briefcase and walked out the door and scurrying down the corridor as he realised he was running a little late

OOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOO

Rachel sealed the envelope and put the stamp on the top right corner. She was sending Ross a letter, and if the plan worked, he would be very surprised indeed. She had written in the letter at the bottom 'Open your door at 4.30'. She had thought it through very carefully as to what day and time he would get the letter, she had lived at his apartment for a few months and she had remembered that the post always came at 12 midday, and the post normally took 2 days to get to New York from Paris, so her plan was likely to work. 'Right Emma, Your going to come with Mommy now to the post office to post a letter for Daddy ok?' She said to her daughter who was already waiting in her pram to go out. 'Dada!' She shouted. Rachel smiled and popped the letter inside her handbag before grabbing her keys and coat and going out of her apartment. Since speaking to Monica, she had already booked her and Emma flight tickets for New York in 2 days time, she had told Monica to keep it quiet about her coming and to also make sure Ross stayed at home on Thursday.

She felt so excited to see Ross in two days, and it was even better that it was a surprise to him. She just couldnt wait to see him, and she would be staying a whole week. It would be Emma's birthday when they were in New York also which she knew would make Ross even more happy, he had been discussing her birthday with Rachel when he was staying with them in Paris, and she knew how much he wanted to be there when Emma turned two.

She was also thinking more about moving back to New York, she did love living in Paris and taking control of her life more than she ever did, but the thought of going back to New York where everything was familiar, where her friends and family were and Ross, she felt that it would be the better option to move back. Her job was great, but she was finally beginning to understand what Ross meant all those years ago before they broke up when he said that a job is just a job, she knew what he meant now. She wouldnt be able to get much more out of her career now, and she wouldnt mind going back to her old job in New York if they let her. Her main priority now was finally settling down with the man she loved, and building a future together.

'Mommyyyy'. Emma shouted from her pram as Rachel walked into the postoffice downstairs. 'Whats wrong Emma?'.

'Where is Daddy?' She asked her. Rachel sighed as she knelt down to give her daughter some attention, 'I told you where Daddy was sweetheart, he is in New York...where me and you will be going next week!' She told her. Emma began to wave her arms up and down, 'Me see Daddy'. She kept repeating.

Rachel kissed her daughter on the head before standing back up to walk into the postoffice. 'Thats right sweetheart, you'll see Daddy very soon'. She promised.

OOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOO


	17. Chapter 17

'Monica told me about you and Rachel, I have to say...I wasnt expecting to hear that so soon because I thought her decision was final buddy, but I'm so happy for you...how come you didnt stay in Paris with her huh?'. Chandler asked his friend as they walked out of the game.

'Oh dude, I wasnt even expecting to come back to New York with the idea of us in my mind again...but it was somehow different when it was just the two of us, everything just seemed to come together and finally we will be able to be together...as a family, but I had to come back home for work but she told me she would come over here in a week or so so we could talk more about our future...'.

'Is she gonna come back over here to live with you then?'. Chandler asked as they pulled a cab on the street to drive them home.

'I think she might...but she hasnt told me she will for definate, but I think living here would work better for the both of us...I cant see myself moving to Paris and I've told her that...she understands'.

They climbed into the cab. 'Can you drop us off at Madison avenue please?' Ross said to the cab driver. 'We can just walk to my apartment and have a beer or something Chan?' He said to his friend before taking a seat in the cab.

'Sure. I told Mon that I would drive back later tonight in the porche...she actually let me take it out for a change' He laughed. Ross was surprised, 'Moving to the suburbs must have made a big change in my little sister then huh?' He joked.

Chandler nodded. 'On the serious side now, things are very different yet better than we could have imagined...the twins are getting to that age now where they are starting to make mischief but we handle them well, and our jobs are going well...we couldnt wish for more really'.

Ross smiled. 'Thats good...'.

'So...what do you think is ahead for you and Rachel then huh?' Chandler asked him.

'I'm not sure...but its good enough for now to know that atleast she will be in my future you know? I thought that I would never have my chance again when she left for Paris but now we both want the same things...marriage and maybe more children will probably come up further down the line...'.

'Oh...So marriage is definately on the cards then?' Chandler asked.

'It always has been on the cards for me Chan...' He joked. 'But with Rachel, I dont see why marriage couldnt happen now? I mean...we've known eachother for ten whole years and for most of those years we were either together or thinking about being together...and then Emma came along and its like we already have a big enough reason to just walk down the aisle...you know what I mean?'. Ross asked.

'I know what you mean. But what if Rachel doesnt want to get married?'.

'She does...'.

'Oh...well then...whats stopping you?'. Chandler asked him.

Ross looked at his friend. 'Nothing...absolutely nothing.'. He realised. The cab stopped at Madison avenue where they got out and walked to Ross's apartment which was only a few blocks down. 'I think I know what I'm going to do Chandler...'. Ross said as they walked side to side down the street.

OOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOO

She hadnt told anybody else but Monica that she was coming back to New York. As the plane flew over the city which she had been away from for over a month, she couldnt help but feel excitement over seeing everybody again, especially Ross. It was 4pm now in New York, if the post had came to Ross' like it should have, the plan was already at work. 'Emma sweetheart, we're there now...' She announced to her daughter who was still asleep next to her. As the pilot told the passengers to put on their seatbelts for landing, Rachel felt a little nervous and she felt her stomach whirl around , making her feel quite nauseous too.

Her plan once they landed in the airport was to go straight to Ross's apartment, where he would be hopefully sat with the letter in confusion of what she had wrote to him, she had only half an hour to get out of the airport and quickly into a cab to take her where she wanted to go.

'It was lovely meeting you Rachel...' The lady on the other side of her said, as they landed in New York. 'Your daughter is beautiful...she looks just like you'. She smiled. Rachel had enjoyed talking to this lady for the entire flight, she hated feeling lonely on flights so a conversation with someone was ideal especially as she also suffered from massive nerves from flying.

'Oh It was lovely meeting you. If you think she looks like me...you should see her father' She said about Emma, 'She looks a bit like both of us...'.

'Just like my daughter, she has my eyes but her fathers mouth...and shes a bit of a daddy's girl too, even at the age of 30!' She laughed.

'That sounds a bit like me...' Rachel told her. 'Anyway...I better go. If I want my plan to work...' She said, before taking Emma and both of the bags off the plane, tyring to walk as fast as she could to the taxi rank. She knew there would be many other people wanting a cab at this time of day. Just her luck.

OOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOO

'Hows Ross then?' Monica asked her husband as they sat at the table for lunch. 'It feels weird not being able to see my brother as much as I would want...we'll have to see him together again soon..' She said, knowing that this would be happening the day after next when they met up with Rachel and Ross for a double date. But Chandler didnt know this, nor did Ross. 'Hes fine...really happy about Rachel from what I can see...thats all he goes on about' He laughed.

'Same with Rachel...'. Monica said. 'She seems a lot happier since the last time I spoke to her...'. She continued.

The Bings continued to eat their meal as they kept an eye on the twins who were sat in the playpen next to the table. 'Ross said that he is dying to see the twins again aswell...' Chandler told her. 'Yeah...Well...Chandler, I didnt tell you this before you went to see Ross because I know there was a good chance in you blabbing it out to him...' Monica began.

'Me? Blabbing?' Chandler asked sarcastically. 'So what is it you have to tell me?'. He asked her.

'When I spoke to Rachel the other day, she told me that she was going to come over to New York to surprise Ross...and then they are going to join us two for a double date kind of thing...and Phoebe and Mike are going to try too, but I'm not sure if theyre coming yet but..'.

'You mean Rachel's coming here without telling Ross?' Chandler asked. 'You've got to be kid..-'.

'I'm not kidding...Rachel should be here right now actually, and possibly knocking on Ross's door right this moment...' She smiled. 'She swore me to secrecy but theres no harm in telling you now really...'. She said before finishing off her plate.

Chandler put down his knife and fork and rubbed his head. 'I...I'm kinda confused...Last night when I was with Ross, he told me that they hadnt planned on seeing eachother for a few weeks but there was a possibilty that she would be coming here...but then he told me...oh god...'.

'What?' Monica asked, speaking with quite a mouthful and spluttering all over the table.

'He told me he was going to Paris...today'. Chandler finished.

Monica dropped her fork on the plate. 'Your telling me that Ross is going to Paris when Rachel has just got to New York to see him?' She asked.

'Yes...' He confirmed. 'But if you had of told me that Rachel was coming here then this really wouldnt have happened because I would have been able to tell Ross not to go to Paris...'.

'Dont blame me on this Bing!' She shouted before getting up from the table. 'You clean up...I'm gonna go and ring Rachel...Or even Ross'. She told him.

OOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOO


	18. Chapter 18

She scurried down the hallway, pushing Emma in her pram and struggling to keep the two bags on her shoulders. 'Almost there...' She said, as they reached the right floor. It was a little later than she had hoped to arrive, but she knew that Ross would be still waiting for her. 'Oh Emma...You've been such a good girl for me today and we'll get you straight to bed when we get to Daddy's apartment ok?' She said to her daughter who was already half asleep with her thumb inside her mouth.

She reached the caramel coloured door, the last time she was at Ross' apartment was the night when they slept together, the day before she went to Paris. Thinking back, it felt like only yesterday she was arguing with Ross when he had accused her of not saying goodbye to him because she didnt care. She had contemplated the thought of not leaving for Paris, but the idea of working in Paris always blocked the doubts in her mind that she should stay and work things out with Ross.

She knocked at the door very lightly, but loud enough for Ross to know she was there. He was probably stood right by the door anyway, just waiting for her to knock. A few seconds passed, so she knocked again. Still no answer. So she reached for her key, after dropping the bags from her shoulders and inserted the key into the lock before the door swung open. She looked inside to see that nobody was there, Ross wasnt on the sofa with the letter in his hands and a ready opened bottle of champagne for them to celebrate with, instead she saw the letter on the floor infront of the door, unopened. 'Wonder where Daddy is huh Emma...' She said, knowing that her daughter wasnt listening to her. She pushed Emma inside first before dragging the two bags into the room and closing the door behind her. Just then, her phone began to ring. It was Monica.

'Rach?' She heard Monica say. 'Where are you?' She asked again, not giving her a chance to reply the first time.

'Well...I'm at Ross's but hes not here...'. She told her.

'Thats why I'm ringing you Rach, your in a bit of a pickle...well both of you are really' She told her.

'What do you mean? Wheres Ross?' She asked.

'I'll be honest with you...but dont flip out!'. Monica began. 'Hes...hes probably on his way to Paris right now Rach, because he...-'.

'Paris? Hes in Paris?' Rachel asked, interupting her friend.

'He mightnt be there right now, but hes definately either on the way to the airport or waiting for his flight right now...Ive tried to call him but hes not answering...' Monica explained.

Rachel slumped herself down on the sofa and closed her eyes. 'This is just typical Mon...' Rachel said, half laughing. 'But...why was he even thinking of going to Paris?' She asked.

'I didnt know until just before otherwise I would have told you to stay put! But Ross told Chandler last night that he wanted to come see you...and Ross obviously didnt know you were coming, and I chose not to tell Chandler because he could have told Ross...'.

'What a mess' Rachel said. 'I'm going to have to hope that he'll answer his phone...or...I'll go to the airport...'. She decided.

'Keep trying his cell, theres a good chance that he hasnt left yet...' Monica told her.

'Lets hope so Mon...' Rachel said before ending the call and dialling Ross' cell phone number straight away.

OOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOO

Ross reached the departure lounge, the same one he set off from a few weeks back. His flight was in just under an hour, so he decided to go and get Rachel a little surprise for when he arrived in Paris. Flowers, or maybe chocolates. He had thought all the previous night and all morning and afternoon about when he saw Rachel, he was sure that when he saw her he would just be able to say what he wanted to say and do what he wanted to do. He wanted to ask her for her hand in marriage, something he had wanted to do for years, but he knew if he didnt do it now, he never would.

One thing he hadnt done yet was buy an engagement ring, but he figured that if she accepted his proposal, they would have time to go together and get her a ring as beautiful as her, and a diamond as big as her heart. 'Can I just have these chocolates please...' He said to the man at the counter, 'Oh and also some of those sweets for the flight please...' He added. He always bought the same sweets everytime he flew, just to take away the feeling of his ears popping when they took off.

'Sure...' The man said, putting the chocolates and sweets in a bag for him before taking the money from Ross' hand. 'Thanks...' Ross said before walking out of the shop, out into the lounge where another dozen people were sat reading magazines and the new york times.

As he sat down, he heard his phone ringing from his jacket pocket. He realised that he already had over ten missed calls, off both Monica and Rachel. 'Hey Mon...' He answered, 'Whats up?'. He asked.

'Ross!' She shouted. 'Why the hell havent you been answering your phone!' She asked him.

'I'm in the airport Mon, I mustnt have heard it...but whats wrong?' He asked, slightly concerned.

'Ok...' She paused. 'Let me get my breath...' She said to him, 'Ok...'.

'Are you ok Mon?' He asked again.

'Im fine...but right...you have to listen, you wont understand anything that I tell you now but please...please tell me that your still in New york...' She asked him.

He started to laugh. 'Whats this all about Mon?'. He asked.

'Just tell me Ross...are you at New York for christs sake!' She yelled again.

'Geez...Chill Mon! Yes..I'm at New York airport...I'm just waiting for my flight...so has Chandler told you about my surprise visit to Rachel then?' He asked cheerily. 'My flights in just 40 minutes...' He told her.

'Your not getting on the flight Ross! Dont ask why...dont ask anything just get your butt back home!' She told him.

'Come back home?'.

'Yes...Come back home. Go to your apartment...' She told him again.

'I need an explanation...' He asked her. 'I cant come home because I need to go and see Rachel...' he continued.

'Your explanation will be there when you get home Bro...Just do as I say please...' She told him once again before ending the call.

He scratched his head and put his phone back in his pocket. He knew that he better had take his sisters advise. He would go home.

OOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOO


	19. Chapter 19

She waited impatiently for a call, any call to let her know where Ross was. Monica had promised to ring her if she got in touch with Ross, that was over half an hour ago, each minute became harder for her as she stared at the apartment door, hoping that Ross would walk through and start laughing over the situation. She had filled the time by filling the room with candles to set a romantic mood for whenever Ross did come home, if he ever did this evening.

Her phone began to ring, 'Thank god...' She said under her breath before taking the call.

'Rach...I spoke to him..' She heard Monica say. 'Hes--'.

'Is he in Paris? Oh god Mon...Has he already left?' She asked. The whole situation was becoming less of a joke now, she started to feel very distressed over the whole thing.

'No. Hes not in Paris Rach...I got hold of him just before his flight and told him everything...if he paid attention to anything I told him, you'll be seeing him soon..' Monica told her. 'Dont worry Rach, I'm sure he'll be there soon...' She reassured her friend.

'Oh Mon...Thank you. I dont know what I would have done if he had of already gone...what a day huh...' She joked.

'I dont think he quite believed what I was saying to him to be honest, but I'm sure he'll be home soon Rach...I'm just glad that I got hold of him because I would have blamed myself for this whole mess...If I had of just told Chandler then he could have just...--'.

Rachel heard the door unlock. She heard the sound of keys jangling. Then the door opened slowly. Monica was still talking to her but the words seemed to fly past her as she waited to see Ross come inside, 'Just proves that sometimes surprise plans just dont go to plan huh Rach?' Monica said.

Ross was stood in the hallway, a bag over his shoulder and a small suitcase infront of him. He looked soaking wet, 'Why...Hello' He said to Rachel as he remained in one spot, 'So this is the explanation why I had to miss my flight and almost fall in a puddle whilst running for a cab eh?' He laughed, running his fingers through his soaked hair before walking into the apartment.

'Rach? Are you there Rach?' Monica shouted down the phone.

Rachel snapped out of her daze. 'Oh Mon...Hes here. I'm sorry I wasnt talking to you...' She laughed. 'But hes here now...' She told her.

Ross shut the door behind him as he waited for Rachel to end her conversation with Monica. 'Oh thank god!' Monica screeched, 'Ok...You two have fun...and remember, your coming to dinner tomorow night arent you?' She asked. Rachel smiled, 'Course we are. I'll give you a ring tomorow Monica, thanks for being a huge help tonight...you must have much better things to do'. Rachel realised.

Ross slumped down on the sofa and waited patiently for Rachel to finish. 'Typical...' He muttered, as he watched her have a talk on the phone like she always did. The gossip queen of America he once called her. 'Ha...Mon I better go because your brother is wanting some attention which is quite understandable...' She laughed, 'Bye Mon' She said before ending the call and putting the phone down.

Ross began to laugh from where he was sat on the sofa. 'Come here you...' He told her, 'I think we both have need some well deserved time together...' he said, as she made her way over to the sofa and sat down beside him. He rested his hand on her thigh and sighed. 'I had no idea you were coming today you know...I had a whole thing planned for when I came to Paris and everything...' He told her.

'You did?' She asked, tilting her head to the right, resting it on the leather on the sofa. 'I just figured that me and Emma would come and see you for a few days because I took some days off work and I had nothing else to do there...and besides, I was missing you...' She told him, leaning in to kiss him on the lips.

'Oh I missed that..' Ross said, as they finished a long awaited kiss. 'But I'm glad you came...and I'm glad I knew about you being here before I flew off' he laughed, 'but I did have a whole plan in the works for when I surprised you...' He told her again.

She stroked his arm affectionately before asking him, 'Like what sweetie...'.

He shook his head. 'Oh nothing...It was going to be a surprise for when I saw you...'.

'Oh...well, your seeing me now arent you? Can this plan not work in New York or is it just for Paris?' She asked him.

'Well...actually, no...your right, the plan could work right now if I wanted it to...' He told her.

She laughed. 'How intriguing!'. 'Give me a clue...' She begged.

He shook his head. 'Cant do that...I'd give it all away if I gave you a clue...'

'Oh...Ok' She sighed. 'Lets leave it as a surprise then hunny, you better unpack and everything and I better had too...' She said, patting his arm before getting up. 'Emmas asleep in my room,She'll be happy to see you when she wakes up' She smiled.

Ross smiled. 'I cant wait to see my little angel...but first, I know of a beautiful...sexy and very special lady who needs some loving affection tonight' He said, joining her by the kitchen door. 'How about we unpack...then we open a bottle of wine and then...'.

'I know what your hinting at baby...' She interupted.

'Ofcourse you do...because its what you want too...' He teased, before placing his hand on her back and stroking her skin.

She let out a sigh. 'You know me too well...' She laughed before kissing him again. 'Lets leave the unpacking till later...' She suggested, pushing him in the direction of the bedroom.

'Yes Madam...' He agreed before lifting her up in his arms and running into his bedroom.

OOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOO

A smile crept over his face as he watched her sleep next to him. Whenever he looked at her, thoughts travelled through his mind from the past and he never did understand why somebody so beautiful as her would ever have time for someone like him. She had always told him off for thinking like that but sometimes he just couldnt believe it, even when they werent together he thought the same. He felt lucky to have had atleast one chance with her, it wasnt rare for the person you adored at highschool to feel the same way about you. He grabbed hold of her hand gently as she remained asleep, he placed his fingers into hers so they were intwined, even her hands were beautiful. He smiled. The realisation of what he now had sometimes brought him close to tears, but he didnt waste his time on crying, he just remained to look, and watch, as she slept. 'Your doing it again arent you...' She muttered, her eyes still closed. He laughed, 'How did you know I was looking at you?' He asked her. Her eyes were open now, 'Because I just knew...I could feel your eyes on me' She laughed.

'Good sleep?' He asked her, kissing her hand before holding it again.

'Very good..' She told him, cupping his face in her other arm. 'And you know why...'.

'Why...' He asked, already knowing what she would probably say.

'Because...I was sleeping in the same bed as you'. She told him. 'I love you so much...'.

He kissed her before she finished her sentence. 'Sorry...I had to kiss you. You have the most irrestistable lips...' He told her.

'Oh really?' She laughed, 'You too...' She told him, pressing her lips against his to return the gesture.

They stayed silent for the moment, it felt like they were both teenagers again. Looking at eachother longingly in the eyes again, never wanting to be apart.

'I want to ask you something..' Ross warned her. 'No pressure or anything but...'.

'What is it sweetie?' She asked him, sitting upright. For a moment, the idea of him proposing entered her mind, but she tried not to think about it, he didnt look like he was about to propose, it must be something else she thought.

'Ok...well errm, on the way to the airport when I was planning on going to Paris, I was thinking of our living situations and everything...and I just couldnt bear the thought of having to fly there and back all the time...so I thought maybe, we should move in together...'

'Oh...You mean that you want me to move back here?' She asked him.

'Well I'm not asking you to give up everything in Paris just for me but I just wanted you to think about it...'.

'I dont need to think about it Ross...' She told him.

'Oh...Ok...Well I knew you wouldnt be keen on moving back here so quickly anyway so its fine Rach...'.

She began to laugh. 'Just stop talking for just a second...I said that I dont need to think about moving because well...I was thinking of moving back here anyway even if you didnt ask me to'. She told him.

'Really Rach?'

'No I'm joking...' She laughed. 'What do you think?'.

'Oh Rach...Seriously, I was so nervous about asking you because well...I thought you liked it in Paris and its just the whole idea of packing up again and leaving your job...'.

'Packing up again wont take long, I already have everything I need here...I'll just sell the apartment with all my furniture in it' She laughed.

He kissed her again. 'You dont know how happy I am Rach...'.

'I'm happy too. I didnt think you were going to ask me that...'

'Well I wanted to ask you now before this weekend was over you know?...why what were you expecting me to ask huh?'

'Oh nothing...I just didnt think you were gonna ask that, I didnt think you would ask me to move in till...well...anyway...Say hello to your new roomie Gellar!' She giggled, unaware that Ross had an idea at what she was getting at. She had hinted to the subject of marriage without knowing, but Ross already had it on his mind.

OOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOO

Rachel poured the cereal into the bowl after feeding Emma her breakfast, 'Ross, Do you want me to pour you some cereal?' She called from the kitchen.

'Uhh, No I'm fine sweetie...I'll just have a juice or something' He called back from the bathroom.

She sat down with her cereal, 'Emma sweetie...How do you fancy going to see your Auntie Monica and Uncle Chandler tonight?' She asked her daughter who was sat in her highchair next to her.

'What time are we going over?' Ross asked as he came into the kitchen. 'I wish I didnt have to go to work but I just have to...' He sighed, pouring himself some juice. 'Thats fine Ross, me and Emma will just spend some time in the apartment unpacking and we might pop over to do some shopping...' She told him.

He sat down beside her. 'Are you going to ring up work in Paris to let them know your not coming back now?' He asked.

'I...I'm not sure. I guess I'll have to at some stage but I'll leave it till this weekend is over...we have tonight to look forward to first and ofcourse Emma's birthday...' She smiled, looking next to her where Baby Emma was sat eating her breakfast.

'Well if you like, we can both go over next week and sort everything out...' He suggested.

She nodded. 'Ok...I'll ask my mom if she can look after Emma...its not fair putting her on a plane all the time and she needs to know now where her home is...and thats here' She smiled.

'Monica said that we can stay overnight if we like...we might aswell make it a long visit' Ross told her.

'That sounds good. I think that spending Emma's birthday there would be really nice...' She agreed.

Ross took a sip from his juice, 'I'll be back at about 4oclock...then I'll drive us up to Monica and Chandlers, ok?'.

She nodded. 'Ok sweetie'. Just then the door knocked, 'Shall I get that?' She volenteered, getting up from her chair.

'Sure Rach.. ' He nodded, as she walked past him to see who was at the door. He knew who was at the door and he had planned for her to go and answer it, 'She has no idea does she Emma?' He whispered to his daughter who now started to giggle.

Rachel opened the door to see a man with a big bunch of flowers, the bunch had all sorts of flowers but there seemed to be many of her favourite flowers, Lillies. 'Oh my god...' She gasped.

'Rachel Greene?' The man checked. She nodded, 'Yes...'.

'These are for you...looks like someone really cares for you huh' He smiled, passing her the bouquet of flowers. She held them in her arms and smelt them, there was also a message on them.

_Rachel, I hope you know how much you mean to me, and I am so happy that we finally worked things out. If you let me, I want to take care of you for the rest of my life. You and Emma mean the world to me. Theres just one thing I need to ask you..._

_Will you marry me?_

_Ross xx_

She held her hand over her mouth as she read the message. She was speechless.

'Well?' She heard Ross say from behind her, he wrapped his arms around her and buried his face in the nape of her neck. She turned to look at him, 'I...I dont know what to say' She told him.

He laughed. 'Say yes?'.

She looked at him for what felt like forever, and the word that she wanted to say and what he wanted to hear finally came from her mouth.

'Yes...' She said quietly. 'Ofcourse I will marry you'.

Ross didnt say anything, but the smile on his face proved that he had been waiting for that one word forever. 'I will marry you Ross Gellar...' She said again, placing her hands on his bare cheeks. 'I love you...'.

OOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOO

This is the end of the story.

Epilogue may follow in a few weeks. I hope you enjoyed it!


	20. Epilogue

This is my first attempt at an epilogue, I hope you enjoy it.It will hopefully tie up a few ends, I hope it answers a few questions of yours which you were wanting to find out before the story is out.

OOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOO

**Theres nothing else in the world**

**I'd rather wake up and see**

**With you.**

**Beautiful dawn. **

He sat gazing over in her direction, unaware of his eyes on her, she continued to moisturise her face and comb her hair. He couldnt help but look, even when he tried to tear his eyes away from her, they always drifted back. Even in her morning mask, no makeup, She looked like she was shining, she just didnt know what anybody else could see. He would tell her everyday how beautiful she was, but she was in disbelief.

They had been living together again in New York for just 3 weeks and things finally felt brighter again, although Rachel hadnt been able to get her job back yet, he had never see her happier. 'Sweetie?'. She called over to him. 'Are you awake?' She asked again. He closed his eyes, pretending to be asleep, something he always did just so she would come back into bed to see if he was fooling her.

'Ross?' She called again, getting up from the chair. He sneaked a look as she was turned around, his plan had worked yet again. 'Are you joking with me again?' She asked, climbing on the bed, leaning over his head. 'Well then...I guess I'll just have to shower on my own then...' She said in his ear, slowly getting up before she was quickly pulled back down on the bed. 'I knew you were awake!' She laughed, slapping him playfully on the arm. 'It never fails with you..' He laughed.

She rested her head on his chest. 'Maybe...but the shower thing always fools you also!' She reminded him. 'Oh, so you dont want to shower with me this morning?'He asked teasingly.

She began to laugh. 'What do you think?'. She asked him, tilting her head to the side. 'My mornings wouldnt be the same without showering with you baby...but first, let me go and see to Emma...you can keep the water warm for me yeah?'. She asked him, squeezing his hand quickly before springing off the bed.

'I'll be waiting for you Greene...'. He laughed.

'Dont you mean...'

'Oh my mistake...I meant to say, Gellar Green...' He corrected himself.

She nodded. 'Thank you'. She said before walking out of the room.

OOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOO

'Can you believe our baby is two years old?' Rachel asked Ross as they both got ready to go out. 'It only feels like yesterday since I was in 48 hours labour and screaming the hospital down...' She laughed as she put Emma into her pushchair.

Ross smiled. 'It feels like only yesterday since her first birthday too, atleast she was awake for her party this time round huh?'. He joked.

'Good job otherwise, I dont think Monica and Chandler would have came...' She said, shaking her head. 'But Ross, I was thinking earlier when I was bathing her and I just realised again how much I love her but I felt so sad that she is growing up...I wanted to ask if you wanted to have more children?' She asked him.

He smiled. 'I remember a time when it was me who was wanting all the children and a huge family and house in the suburbs..' He laughed, 'but Rach...theres nothing more that I would want but to give you more children and to give Emma a real sister or brother...' He told her.

'I guess things change huh? There was a time where I probably wouldnt have wanted a huge family because the thought scared me...but since having Emma, I see things a lot more different' She told him. 'So...maybe once we're married, we could maybe try for another baby?' She suggested, a smile appearing on her face.

He walked towards her, draping his arms over her shoulders, 'Maybe even before the wedding...' He hinted at her,with a suggestive glint in his eyes.

Today they were both going to have lunch with their parents, two whole hours spent in a restaurant having to answer questions and explain why this time they really were being serious about their relationship and reassure Ross' parents that this marriage wouldnt follow in the same steps as his previous ones.

'Are you nervous about today?'. Rachel asked Ross as she put on her beige suede jacket on.

He wandered over to her, wrapping his arms around her. 'I'm a little nervous about having to see your dad and make him believe that I do care about you and that I wont mess you around...'.

'You know my dad, hes difficult to impress but if you remember...you both got on well once you started to talk, remember?'.

'Yeah but the last time that I saw him was when he found out you were pregnant...he sure hated me that day, I'm just going to have to deal with him...'. He told her, kissing her on the neck. 'I'll do anything to make sure he trusts me to take care of you...because I will, and well...I dont have to really convince your mum because shes always been easy to get on with'. He smiled.

'My mum? You mean shes coming along today too?' Rachel asked him. 'What about my da--'.. She started to panick.

'Shoot...I...I wasnt going to tell you because I knew you wouldnt be pleased and you would get all freaked...but your mum and dad both promised me that they would behave and get along for your sake...ok?'. He said to her, rubbing her arm.

'Why didnt you tell me?'. She asked him.

'Because...I wanted it to be a pleasant surprise for you when you got there and saw them both there for you...I mean, you didnt expect us to have our wedding meeting lunch without both your mum and dad did you?'.

'No but I just never thought they would both agree to be in the same room as eachother...'..

'Well they have promised to both be there today...at 4...so lets get a move on. And anyway...atleast you dont have to impress my parents, they already see you as their daughter anyway...' He laughed.

She released herself from his arms to put Emma's bag on the pram, 'We better go then...Its so good that my sister has offered to look after Emma again...I mean this is the second time now..I'm starting to get worried'. She laughed.

'Aslong as she doesnt do anything behind our backs again like piercing her ears...I dont care.' He said.

'Well shes not completely on her own this time...Jill is going to be there, and I know shes a little crazy too but shes great with kids...we have nothing to worry about'. She reassured him.

OOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOO

After awkwardly going for the same chair as they had done in the past, Ross and Leonard Greene settled down on the table as Rachel and her mother opened their menues to see what they fancied. 'So...Ross. You still work at that museum?'. Her father asked him.

Ross shook his head, 'I actually teach now at a university three times a week...I left the museum a few years back Dr Green'. He told him.

He could feel Rachel's eyes on him as they began to talk between themselves, he had made a deal with her that he would play nice with her father and ignore any sly comments that came his way. 'A university huh? Well thats impressive...' He replied, Ross noticed he didnt say it in a sarcastic way surprisingly, he actually sounded genuine for once.

Rachel smiled over at Ross. 'Why dont you tell my mom and dad about the tenure you got this year?' She suggested. 'Your parents should be here soon...shouldnt they?'. She asked. Ross nodded, 'I told them to be here before 4...but you know what my dad's like driving...' He joked.

'My gosh...we havent seen Ross's parents for a whole 4 years...' Sandra Greene said behind her menu, 'How are they doing Ross?'. She asked.

Before Ross could answer, they were soon joined by the Gellars, Judy and Jack. 'Oh we're so sorry to be so late...' Judy replied as she came over straight to Ross to greet her son, while Jack gave Rachel a friendly kiss. 'Oh Sandra...Its been so long!' Judy said as the two ladies embraced. Jack and Leonard shared a quick handshake before Jack sat down beside Ross. 'And how are you Rachel dear? It's so good to see you...' Judy told her, placing a small kiss on her cheek before sitting beside her.

'Oh I couldnt be better Judy, and its all because of your son...' Rachel smiled, gazing over at Ross who seemed to be pretty impressed by the comment.

'Me and Jack were so pleased to hear about your engagement, but I could somehow see it coming...' Judy smiled. 'So are we going to talk about the wedding today? How exciting--'.

'So was there a reason besides wanting to get married that you proposed to my Rachel, Gellar?' Leonard rudely interupted. 'Or are you expecting another child...'.

Rachel threw him a look. 'Daddy...'.

'What princess? I'm your father..I need to know that theres another reason for why you are getting married...'. He explained.

Rachels mother held her daughters hand, 'Ignore him dear...you dont need another reason besides wanting to get married out of love, isnt that right Judy...Jack?'. She asked, smiling over at them.

'Ofcourse. I dont think you need to worry Leonard as we taught our Ross well...he will look after Rachel...even if marriages havent really gone down well with our Ross in the past...-'.

'Ok dad. Lets not get into that..' Ross begged. 'Me and Rachel want to get married because...we want to. We dont need another reason, there isnt anything stopping us getting married as we are in love...we have a child together and will probably want a bigger family in the future, Mr Greene...you needn't worry, I love your daughter very much...' He smiled.

And soon, Dr Greene shut up.

'Fair enough Gellar'. He said, 'So...Shall we order?'. He asked them, calling over the waiter who was already circling their table anyway.

OOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOO

She would have been lying if she said she didnt want a big fairytale wedding when she married Ross, as a teenager she remembered acting out her own wedding with Monica and not once was the wedding in their imagination just a small reception, so when Ross asked her what she wanted from their day, she wasnt too sure on what to say. 'Whatever you want it to be Rach...Its your call.'. He told her as they walked home hand in hand from their dinner with their parents.

She looked up at him and smiled, 'Every girl wants a huge wedding with a horse and carriage and the biggest cake to size...but...I've been thinking and my idea of a wedding has completely changed as its not about the size or how many people come...its about us Ross, making those vows..and thats all that matters'. She told him.

'Wow'. He said, visibly surprised at her comments. 'I gotta say Rach, and dont take this the wrong way...but, I always thought of you as the girl who wanted it all...you know, a massive wedding and everything...whats changed?'. He asked.

'No your right. I used to be that girl who wanted everything...but now...I have everything, the only thing missing is saying I do to you Ross...'..

'Thats all thats ever mattered to me Rach too...but I just wanted to make sure that was what you wanted too, because if you do want a huge reception then we can have that too...'.

'I know my dad said he would book the Plaza for us, and maybe that would be amazing...it doesnt mean we have to have it big either as we can just invite our close friends and family and have a short reception then we can have a party...'. She suggested.

'I would like to get married in the Plaza too, so we'll tell our parents that we want to have it there...and we can sort the rest out...'.

'Ross?'.

'Yeah baby?'.

'You know when you proposed and you...well you didnt give me a ring did you? so...I was thinking, could we go and choose a ring soon?'. She asked him.

He laughed. 'Ofcourse you can. Whatever size...whatever the price, thats why I didnt want to buy you a ring..I wanted you to choose it yourself Rach..'. he told her, 'When do you want to go?'. He asked her.

'Errm, sometime this week if we can...'.

'Well...how about we go...now?'. He said to her, 'Would you like that?'. He asked.

She smiled, 'What does this smile say to you? I would love to go and get it now...' She said, kissing him on the lips quickly as they stopped at the crossing of the road. 'Ok then, well its only 7oclock now and I'm sure that the ring shop doesnt close till 9oclock on fifth...'. He told her.

'Great. Now we might be there a long time Ross...you know what I'm like shopping and this is going to be even worse, choosing my engagement ring and all...' She laughed.

'Thats expected Angel. But listen...before we go, I wanted to ask you something else'. He told her.

She stopped, and stood facing him, her hands in his back pockets as their stomachs touched. 'What sweetie?'.

'When your dad was saying about when we were going to have the wedding...I was thinking that maybe we could have the wedding in the christmas holiday, a few days before christmas?'. He suggested. 'But I know you were thinking of having it next summer but...'.

'Yeah. I was thinking of next summer but...your way means that we get to wed in just 5 months time...' She pointed out.

'Well thats one more thing sorted out then huh?.A Christmas wedding...'. He confirmed. 'But I think we need to really talk things over anyway over the next few months...so anyway, lets get this ring of yours!'. He said, pulling her along the street, their hands intwined in one anothers.

OOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOO

The night grew darker as they walked down the road of Fifth avenue, they were practically skipping as they went. Hand in hand, talking about the wedding and sharing ideas. 'Finally...' Rachel sighed as they came to the ring shop at the very end of the street. 'Cmon, lets go in...' She said, tugging at his sleeve.

He laughed. ' You can hardly wait can you sweetie?'.

'Nah uh...' She shook her head. 'Now, we better go in before someone takes whichever ring I am destined to have...' She joked.

He did as he was told and walked behind her into the tiny shop, as they went inside the shop, all around them were glass cabinets with all different types of jewellery,Rachel's eyes lit up as she looked around her, like a child wandering around a toy shop. He pulled her towards him again, kissing her head before whispering in her ear, 'Just tell me when you find what you want angel...' He smiled, just like a father would to his child at Christmas. 'Oh I will...' She sniggered.

A lady at the counter who had clearly been looking and listening to the couple soon wandered over, 'The engagement rings are this way dear...' She said to Rachel, delivering her a friendly smile, 'I assume you are both engaged...' She smiled. Ross and Rachel nodded, before the lady led her to the engagement rings.

Ross thought it would be appropiate to walk behind them,. He knew he would be probably waiting around quite a bit as he knew she would probably see more than one which she wanted on her finger. He looked on as Rachel gazed at the sparkling rings inside the cabinet, her eyes still alight as she looked.

'What sort of ring are you looking for dear?' The lady asked as they both stood on either side of the cabinet. 'We have many ranges..'. She pointed out.

Rachel nodded. 'I dont have a ring in my mind to be honest...I was hoping for one to just...'. She stopped for a moment and leant further down, 'To catch my eye...' She continued. Not only was her eyes lit up, but so was her whole face at this point. She began to point down to the ring...'Oh wow...'. She said, her eyes still fixated on this single ring. 'Oh this one is one of our favourites...I can understand why you like it dear, would you like me to get it out for you?'. She offered.

Rachel nodded. 'Ross...Come over and see it sweetie', she asked him, holding out her left hand. 'You have to see this...'.

The lady held out the ring to show them both, 'Wow...that is amazing' Ross agreed, putting one arm around Rachel as they both gazed at the ring.

'Isnt it?' Rachel smiled, touching the ring which was still in the lady's hand.

'Well, do you want it?'. Ross asked her.

'We dont even know how much it yet though do we...' Rachel told him.

He laughed. 'I dont care. If you like it, and you want it...then its yours Rach'. he told her.

The lady smiled at him. 'theres an offer you cant refuse...' She said to Rachel, still holding out the ring to her.

Rachel looked up at him again, 'Are you sure?'.

'I'm sure'. He told her. 'So you want it then?'.

'I do'. She confirmed. As soon as she did so, the lady took this as a signal to close the cabinet and put the ring in a box.

'You've made a good choice...' She said to Rachel as she continued to put it away, 'Your very lucky...' She smiled.

'I know I made a good choice...' She agreed, but she didnt mean what the lady was thinking, she looked up at Ross and kissed him quickly on the lips, letting him know that it wasnt just the ring that was a good choice. 'and I do count myself a very lucky girl...' She added.

Once outside the shop, they both stood outside for a few moments. The stars were shining in the sky and there was a gentle breeze in the air, it was a typical late summers night.

Ross had the bag in his hand with the ring in, 'Before we go home...'.

She stood next to him, 'What sweetie?'.

He opened the bag, picking out the box. 'We have to do it right...'. He told her, before opening the box, where the ring of her choice sat. 'Rachel Greene, Will you marry me?' He asked her.

She began to laugh. 'For the second time...Yes'. She smiled.

He took the ring out gently and took hold of her finger, sliding it slowly up her finger before kissing her softly on the lips. 'I just had to do it again with the ring...' He told her. She looked at her ring again, 'I just cant believe how beautiful it is...' She smiled, admiring it.

He wrapped his arms around her again. 'It just has to be the most beautiful thing...ever'. She said again, grinning up at him.

**Loving you is some kind of wonderful**

**Because you show me how much you care**

'I know something more beautiful...' He whispered in her ear.

'Oh and whats that sweetie?' She asked him, putting her arms around his waist.

'You'.

**I'm so glad you found me in time.**

**This will be an everlasting love for me.**

OOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOO

Thats the end of the story everybody, I hope you enjoyed reading it as much as I enjoyed writing it!.

Look out for more stories written by myself, I am looking forward to giving you all more material to read in just a matter of weeks:D

Rachel xxxx


End file.
